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IRONWOOD   TREES    IN    KAPIOLAWI    PARK 


HONOLULU 


A  TRAVELER'S 
MAIL  BAG 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF 

THE  PARADISE  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

AND  CALIFORNIA 


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♦  ♦♦ 

LETTERS  FROM  MRS.  JOHN  E.  BAIRD, 
FEBRUARY  TO  AUGUST,  1914 


O1 


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PHILADELPHIA 

PRIVATELY    PUBLISHED 

1915 


3^7 


Copyright,  1915,  by 
Mrs.  John  E.  Baird 


GIFT  OF 


*  a  • 

c       •    « 
•    •     • 


•      •  •     •  •     •  •  « 


PRESS   OF  WM.  F.  FELL  CO. 
PHILADELPHIA 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Through  the  Paradise  of  the  Pacific 7 

A  Few  First  Impressions 7 

A  Visit  to  Hilo  on  Island  Hawaii 10 

Further  Greetings  from  Honolulu 16 

Next  Day — Moving  Day 20 

A  Chronicle  of  Some  of  the  Things  that  Make  Time  Fly  in  Hono- 
lulu    30 

An  "Uninspired"  Letter.  .  . 38 

Easter  Sunday 47 

Another  Epistle  from  the  "  Paradise  of  the  Pacific" 57 

Honolulu,  May  Fourteenth , 63 

A  Letter  Written  at  Sea 71 

During  Our  Stay  in  California jy 

San  Francisco 77 

Anniversary  Day  and  Sunday 78 

Monday 80 

Wednesday 83 

Thursday 84 

Friday 86 

Los  Altos 87 

Sunday  in  Yosemite 89 

Lakeport,  Lake  Co 98 

Through  the  " Redwoods" 98 

Northern  Part  of  the  State 1 1 1 

Lake  Tahoe  and  Sacramento 114 

Southern  California 1 19 


M9281' 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Ironwood  Trees  in  Kapiolani  Park,  Honolulu.  .  .Frontispiece 

St.  Andrews  Cathedral,  Honolulu 32 

Four  American  Citizens,  Native  Residents  of  Honolulu.  ...  56 

Moanalua  Park,  Honolulu 66 


THROUGH  THE  PARADISE  OF  THE 
PACIFIC 

A  FEW  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS 

EARLY  in  the  morning  we  were  on  deck  for  our  first 
sight  of  the  Islands.  We  were  impressed  with  the 
"barren"  and  "unpopulated"  appearance  of  them, 
until,  after  several  hours,  we  sighted  Honolulu  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  city  proper  lies  along  the  shore,  with  only 
scattered  buildings  on  the  mountain  side,  so  that  the 
perspective  does  not  remind  us  of  the  Mediterranean 
ports, — except  the  boys  swimming  and  diving  for  coins! — 
and  when  we  learn  that  the  ship  will  dock,  it  not  only 
delights  us,  but  quite  convinces  us  that  no  comparison 
is  to  be  made  between  this  and  the  ports  so  much  better 
known  to  tourists,  for  of  all  those  we  have  previously 
visited,  Colon  and  Constantinople  are  the  only  ones  that 
have  docked  our  ship. 

The  color  of  the  sea  is  the  first  thing  we  notice,  for 
though  not  so  blue  as  that  around  the  Bahamas,  it  is  a 
beautiful,  clear,  vivid  blue. 

Our  ship,  the  "Matsonia,"  being  the  handsomest 
Matson  S.  S.  Co.  boat  ever  having  entered  this  port,  and 
not  only  being  on  her  maiden  trip,  but  also  having  on  board 
her  owner,  Captain  Matson,  there  were  thousands  at  the 
wharf  to  meet  her.  All  whistles  in  town  shrilled  their 
greeting,  and  all  the  boats  in  the  harbor  gave  salutes  of 
welcome,  so  that  for  two  hours  there  was  much  excitement. 

We  were  met  by  Bishop  Restarick  and  received  a  very 
cordial  welcome.  There  were  with  him  three  native  girls 
[7] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 


from  the  school  who  had  made  for  us  wreaths  of  colored 
reaper  arid  :";ma;ilp?';,  a:  native  vine.  We  each  received 
one  from  each" girl  arid  felt  very  much  "decorated"  by 
the  time  we  reached  the  automobile  the  Bishop  had  pro- 
vided for  us.  They  all,  and  we,  quickly  jumped  in  and 
escaped  from  the  crowd,  making  our  way  along  the  boule- 
vard through  part  of  the  beautiful  city  down  to  Moana 
Hotel  at  Waikiki  Beach.  This  short  ride  was  quite 
enough  to  satisfy  us  that  we  had  come  to  the  right  spot 
to  find  real  beauty  of  tropical  growth  and  also  a  charming 
climate. 

We  were  given  a  lovely  suite  in  the  Moana  Cottage, 
first  floor,  facing  the  sea.  Our  sitting  room  is  a  veranda, 
inclosed  with  wire  netting  only.  There  we  have  a  desk, 
couch,  table,  Morris  chair,  rocker,  and  desk  chair,  with 
room  for  others.  On  one  side  of  this  porch-room  is  a 
lovely  stream  of  water  that  falls  from  the  mountain  and 
runs  into  the  sea.  The  front  faces  the  boulevard,  and 
beyond  that  the  sea.  On  the  other  side  is  the  porch 
entrance  to  the  cottage.  We  sleep  with  the  door  that 
leads  to  it  from  the  bedroom  wide  open,  and  four  windows 
also  open,  thus  managing  to  sleep  out-of-doors  with  all 
house  comforts. 

The  little  stream  beside  the  cottage  of  which  I  spoke, 
bordered  as  it  is  by  palms  and  a  variety  of  plants  with 
effective  foliage,  offers  a  scene  of  beauty  to  which  we  turn 
again  and  again,  never  tiring  of  it. 

We  are  so  glad  to  be  away  from  the  hotel,  thus  insuring 
greater  quiet,  while  at  the  same  time  it  is  very  near  us, — 
just  across  the  street, — and  is  a  very  fine  hotel.  We  take 
all  meals  there  and  are  free  to  spend  all  the  time  there  we 
wish,  enjoying  all  its  privileges,  but  we  much  prefer  the 
quiet  and  atmosphere  of  homelikeness  which  the  life  at 
the  cottage  makes  possible,  so  spend  most  of  our  time 

[8] 


A      FEW      FIRST      IMPRESSIONS 

right  here — and  if  we  are  not  rested  when  we  leave  here, 
then  it  is  not  "rest"  we  need,  but  a  cure  for  indolence! 

The  hotel  and  all  its  cottages  are  full,  and  I  can't  help 
feeling  sorry  for  all  the  people  who,  in  consequence,  have 
to  stay  in  the  city  proper  and  miss  all  the  charm  of  this 
"suburban"  life — though  we  are  only  twenty-five  minutes 
from  town  by  trolley,  and  much  less  by  auto. 

Sea  bathing  here  is  excellent.  As  this  is  only  our 
second  day,  we  haven't  tried  it  yet,  but  we  surely  will 
enjoy  it  on  our  return  from  Hilo,  where  we  go  tomorrow 
(Thursday),  returning  Monday  morning. 

There  are  mountains  everywhere  in  sight,  and  "Dia- 
mond Head"  is  very  near. 

Yesterday  we  called  at  the  Bishop's  home — while  his 
wife  was  out  here  calling  on  us!  He  (the  Bishop)  showed 
us  part  of  the  house,  the  Cathedral,  and  the  Girls'  School. 
They  have  a  beautiful  plant  and  are  doing  a  wonderful 
work.  Of  twelve  Protestant  churches  on  the  Islands  we 
have  six,  and  of  six  in  the  city,  we  have  three.  In  each 
of  the  three,  services  are  held  in  several  languages  each 
Sunday.  When  trying  to  secure  funds  for  a  new  church 
for  the  Chinese  recently  a  woman  who  earns  two  dollars 
a  week  pledged  and  paid  thirty  dollars;  a  man  who  sells 
peanuts  for  a  living  pledged  and  paid  fifty  dollars;  as 
all  did  proportionately  well,  they  got  their  church! — 
this  only  to  show  how  eager  these  foreign  peoples  are  for 
our  beautiful  service,  and  how  they  appreciate  and  re- 
spond to  efforts  to  secure  it  for  them.  They  are  very 
attentive  to  church  services  and  active  in  the  work. 
The  intelligent  faces  of  the  girls  in  the  school,  and  their 
loving  admiration  of  the  Bishop  and  what  he  has  been 
instrumental  in  doing  for  them,  interested  us  greatly. 
One  girl,  eight  years  of  age,  half  Irish,  half  Chinese,  was 
brought  here  by  the  Bishop  when  he  returned  from  the 

I9l 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

convention  last  fall.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  a  church 
in  Chestnut  Hill  persuaded  him  to  take  her,  they  paying 
all  expenses.  When  he  asked  her  yesterday  if  she  would 
like  to  have  us  take  her  back  to  Philadelphia  with  us  she 
cuddled  against  his  arm  and  said:  "No,  please,  Bishop." 
She  is  loved  by  all  who  know  her.  The  girls  in  this  school 
make  everything  they  wear,  do  all  the  housework,  play 
outdoors  an  hour  and  a  half  daily,  and  do  the  studying 
required  to  complete  a  full  high  school  course.  Their 
training  fits  them  to  become  fine  teachers,  business  wo- 
men, or  wives.  A  druggist  told  us  yesterday  he  could 
never  find  more  efficient  stenographers  than  the  two  he 
now  has  from  this  school. 

We  are  interested  to  see  many  of  the  same  plants  and 
trees  here  as  those  we  have  seen  in  the  West  Indies  and 
the  South;  also  rice,  the  cultivation  of  which  is  a  Chinese 
industry  here. 

The  scenic  effects  are  strikingly  beautiful,  and  are  so 
numerous  that  I  am  already  at  a  loss  to  choose  among 
them  for  my  camera.  If  I  took  all  I  see  that  I  should  like  to 
preserve  I  should  break  the  bank  buying  and  printing  films! 

We  feel  now  that  there  isn't  a  place  in  the  world  where 
we  would  rather  stay,  and  we  wish  all  our  loved  family 
and  friends  could  share  with  us  this  wonderful  beauty  and 
this  wonderful  climate.  We  are  very  glad  to  have  been 
able  to  make  arrangements  to  remain  here  until  March 
nth;  the  time  will  be  all  too  short — but  a  happy  thought 
is  that  we  leave  here  only  to  go  back  to  more  real  beauty 
in  our  own  California. 


A  VISIT  TO  HILO  ON  ISLAND  HAWAII 
We  had  a  fine  trip  over  on  the  Matsonia,  and  there, 
as  here,  she  was  received  with  all  the  honors  the  town  could 


A    VISIT    TO     HILO     ON     ISLAND     HAWAII 

bestow.  Captain  Matson  is  well  known  on  these  islands, 
and  all  appreciate  the  fact  that  his  fine  boats  have  done 
much  toward  promoting  their  progress. 

The  boat  did  not  dock  at  Hilo,  but  there  is  a  very  fine 
breakwater  being  made  now,  and  when  that  is  finished, 
Hilo  will  become,  it  is  prophesied,  second  in  importance 
to  none  of  the  cities  of  the  Pacific  Islands. 

We  were  taken  ashore  in  launches  over  a  smooth  sea. 
We  were  reminded  of  Jaffa  when  we  saw  the  rocks  in  the 
water,  but  these  are  not  so  large  and  they  do  not  affect 
the  landing. 

As  has  usually  been  our  good  fortune,  we  had  fine 
weather  for  our  entire  trip  (our  stay  there  lasting  from 
Friday  morning  at  eight  to  Sunday  afternoon  at  five), 
and  that  was  particularly  fortunate,  because  over  there 
they  have  many  rains — in  fact,  many  rainy  days,  a 
peculiarity  that  makes  it  much  less  desirable  than  Hono- 
lulu. 

At  a  quarter  of  nine  we  were  off  in  a  small  Ford  car 
(concerning  which  let  me  say  in  passing  to  those  that  have, 
or  contemplate  having,  one,  that  they  are  certainly  a 
joy  for  endurance;  and  comfortable,  too,  if  only  they 
would  not  insist  upon  riding  through  the  air  instead  of 
staying  on  the  road!).  We  seriously  objected  to  taking  so 
small  a  car  for  the  trip,  but  preferred  being  alone,  and  the 
large  cars  were  all  in  demand  because  of  the  unusual 
crowd,  there  being  two  ships  in  at  one  time. 

Upon  being  assured,  however,  that  the  car  was  "a 
dandy!"  we  started  off,  with  a  chauffeur  that  "knew 
everything  about  an  auto" — but  little  about  plants, 
roads,  or  even  English,  though,  even  without  having 
read  "Pollyanna,"  he  had  the  "smile  that  won't  come  off," 
and  acknowledged  his  ignorance  rather  than  "bluff"  us. 
He  proved  to  be  a  real  expert  at  the  wheel,  and  such  riding 
[u] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

over  ditches,  through  fields,  and  along  a  stretch  of  so- 
called  road  that  was  nearly  as  crude  and  rocky  as  the 
road  from  Jericho  to  Jerusalem!  It  made  us  later  appre- 
ciate the  really  fine  road  to  the  crater. 

We  went  first  to  Rainbow  Falls  to  see  the  rainbow  on 
the  water;  then  out  to  an  old  cave  which  we  understood 
was  to  be  another  Falls  (but  our  English  did  not  agree!). 
After  riding  over  that  awful  stretch  of  rocks  for  miles, 
when  we  finally  got  there  we  said,  "no  going  into  the  cave 
for  us!"  It  is  interesting  to  study  the  lava  formation  that 
produced  these  caves,  but  the  descent  into  them  is  down 
a  miserable  ladder  into  utter  darkness,  and  once  down, 
the  walking  is  very  slippery,  and  unless  one  tied  a  rope  at 
the  entrance  to  pull  his  way  back  he  might  be  lost  forever. 

The  ride  out  to  the  Volcano  Hotel  at  Kilauea  is  over  a 
thirty-one  mile  stretch  of  good  road,  through  sugar-cane 
plantations,  woods,  and  plantation  camps.  These  "  camps  " 
are  groups  of  cheap-looking  but  good  frame  houses  or 
bungalows,  tenanted  mostly  by  Japanese,  for  the  planta- 
tion labor  is  largely  Japanese. 

The  natural  growth  of  woods  is  very  attractive  and 
really  wonderful,  considering  the  rocky  or  lava  formation 
of  the  ground,  with  so  little  "soil" — in  high  winds  large 
trees  are  easily  blown  over,  root  and  all.  The  bread-fruit 
trees,  the  mango,  banana,  algeroba,  and  koa  are  beautiful, 
and  the  abundance  of  tree  ferns  and  ground  vines  taken 
altogether  certainly  make  a  picture  to  be  long  remembered. 

We  really  suffered  disappointment  at  finding  that  the 
Kilauea  crater  is  not  active.  Nothing  to  be  seen  but 
smoke,  and  the  awful  hole,  six  hundred  feet  below  the 
great  lava  plain  around  it,  and  from  which  its  walls  drop 
in  sheer  precipices.  The  circumference  of  the  crater  is 
nearly  eight  miles,  and  it  incloses  an  area  of  2650  acres. 
Near  the  center  of  this  great  pit  is  a  smaller  one,  1000 

[12] 


A    VISIT    TO     HILO     ON     ISLAND     HAWAII 

feet  in  diameter.  This  crater  can  be  approached  within 
a  few  rods  by  riding  over  a  splendid  road  (seven  miles  in 
length)  from  the  Volcano  Hotel. 

We  did  not  waste  time  trying  to  find  scorched  post-card 
pictures  of  the  crater,  and  think  that  those  who  did  suc- 
ceed in  finding  them  must  have  had  a  good  match-box 
somewhere,  for  we  failed  to  see  any  sign  of  fire  and  feel 
sure  the  smoke  was  not  hot  enough  to  be  luminous! 

Lunch  at  the  Volcano  Hotel  was  only  fair.  Most  of 
the  tourists  stay  up  there  over  night,  but  we  preferred 
coming  back  to  Hilo,  and  arrived  at  the  Hilo  Hotel  at 
seven  o'clock,  so  burned  that  we  were  very  far  from  com- 
fortable!— but  that  is  a  small  consideration  compared 
with  the  pleasure  we  had.  We  must  get  black  sooner 
or  later,  so  this  was  as  good  a  time  as  any. 

In  the  evening  Rev.  Fenton-Smith  called.  He  had 
had  a  letter  from  Bishop  Restarick  asking  him  to  "show 
us  around."  He  made  our  entire  visit  there  very  enjoy- 
able, giving  up  a  much-desired  fishing  party  to  spend 
Saturday  with  us,  showing  us  the  wondrous  beauties 
along  the  new  Hilo  railroad,  the  thirty  miles  of  which  cost 
four  millions  of  dollars  to  construct.  It  is  built  on,  over, 
and  through  the  mountains  on  the  coast,  and  passes 
through  scenery  nearly  equal  in  beauty  to  that  of  the 
Amalfi  Drive  in  Italy.  Sublime  gorges,  rustic  scenes, 
mountain  torrents  foaming  over  fringed  cliffs,  pass  in 
picturesque  succession,  arousing  our  enthusiastic  ad- 
miration. 

The  number  and  the  length  of  flumes  carrying  stripped 
cane  from  fields  to  mill  was  an  interesting  sight.  This 
excellent  method  of  transportation  could  not  be  used 
except  for  the  unusually  large  rainfall  there,  but  it  is  a 
great  time  and  money  saver.  The  cane  is  carried  miles 
without  any  labor  except  to  place  it  in  the  flume  at  the 
[13] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

starting-point,  and  to  guide  it  where  there  is  much  of  a 
bend  in  the  flume.  The  force  of  the  water  and  the  speed 
with  which  it  carries  the  cane  are  quite  remarkable. 

At  the  terminus  of  our  trip  on  this  railroad  we  were  met 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Cullen,  who  took  us  in  his  automobile  to 
his  home  for  lunch,  a  courtesy  which  we  very  greatly 
enjoyed.  We  are  glad  to  write  that  we  saw  peach  blossoms 
in  February!  Judging  from  the  press  weather  reports, 
the  folks  at  home  would  be  glad  to  say  the  same  thing — 
if  they  will  come  to  this  haven  of  all  that  is  desirable  in 
scenic  beauty  and  in  climate  they  can. 

It  is  interesting,  and  we  think  pitiable,  to  see  the  results 
of  the  sugar  monopolies  on  Island  Hawaii.  They  have 
left  no  ground  available  even  for  vegetable  gardens.  The 
hope  of  the  people  is  that  since  the  tariff  has  been  taken 
off  of  sugar  Cuba  will  do  more  of  the  business  and  these 
islands  less,  and  perhaps  these  baneful  monopolies  will 
not  always  exist. 

We  were  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  of  going  to  Paloa 
to  see  a  large  mill  where  flooring,  window-sashes,  crates, 
picture-frames,  railroad-ties,  etc.,  are  made  from  the 
beautiful  koa  wood,  which  is  so  hard.  When  polished, 
it  looks  the  equal  in  beauty  and  value  of  mahogany. 
Among  the  200  employees  here,  there  are  represented  14 
different  nations,  and  under  Colonel  Samuel  Johnson  all 
are  so  loyal,  as  well  as  efficient,  that  at  the  time  of  the 
great  fire,  when  all  of  the  mill  was  burned  to  the  ground, 
the  men  came  and  volunteered  to  clear  the  site  of  debris 
and  prepare  it  for  the  new  buildings  while  the  owners  and 
superintendent  were  away  raising  capital  to  rebuild — 
for  there  was  no  insurance.  They  offered  to  do  this  for 
mere  "grub  money,"  and  that  was  only  eight  dollars  a 
month! — this  merely  to  show  that  within  this  people  that 
we  are  so  apt  to  look  down  upon  are  large,  noble  hearts, 

[14] 


A    VISIT    TO     HILO     ON     ISLAND     HAWAII 

and  surely  the  more  I  see  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese 
who  are  here,  the  more  I  truly  admire  them  and  their  fine 
traits  of  character.  They  are  so  cleanly,  so  ambitious, 
so  anxious  for  learning!  they  all  educate  their  children, 
and  many  men  and  women  themselves  attend  night  school. 
Though  the  average  family  has  only  from  six  to  ten  chil- 
dren, there  are  some  I  know  of  that  have  seventeen; 
and  some  up  to  twenty-three,  and  yet  they  are  all  properly 
cared  for.  I  have  yet  to  see  on  one  of  them  a  ragged  or 
soiled  garment  or  an  untidy  head.  They  seem  far  superior 
in  this  respect  to  our  own  poorer  classes.  I  think  there  is 
very  little  charity  work  called  for  among  them — they 
usually  manage  to  supply  their  own  needs. 

Holy  Apostles  Church  at  Hilo  was  practically  built 
by  Mr.  George  C.  Thomas,  of  Philadelphia,  for  when  he 
was  appealed  to  for  help,  and  the  situation  with  its  great 
need  was  made  plain  to  him,  he  secured  enough  money  to 
build  the  church  and  it  was  called  after  his  own  parish. 
The  interior  of  the  church  is  very  attractive.  Its  rector 
did  all  the  wood  carving,  and  the  wood  is  polished  koa, 
which  makes  it  so  very  clean  and  cool  looking.  They 
have  a  fine  rectory  and  a  parish  house.  The  rector,  Mr. 
Fenton-Smith,  besides  his  wood  carving,  does  very  nice 
oil  painting,  plays  a  violin,  and  sings  quite  well;  isn't 
that  a  combination  for  a  clergyman?  I  had  much  fun 
with  him  about  his  being  single — he  says  he  is  coming  to 
Philadelphia  to  look  for  a  wife,  so  readers,  beware! 

The  Island  of  Hawaii  is  twice  the  size  of  all  the  rest  of 
the  islands  combined,  having  an  area  of  4015  square  miles; 
the  population  is  about  60,000.  English  is  understood 
and  spoken  by  all  young  people  and  by  most  of  the  older 
ones.  Hilo  population  is  about  7500,  located  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Island.  Like  all  the  other  islands  of 
this  group,  it  is  of  volcanic  origin,  and  is  the  youngest; 

[15] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

it  is  also  the  only  one  of  the  group  in  which  the  volcanic 
forces  that  made  them  are  not  yet  become  extinct.  The 
Island  rises  from  the  sea  in  three  peaks;  maximum  eleva- 
tion is  13,825 — Mauna  Kea,  which  is  the  highest  peak  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  average  ascent  per  mile  would  be  a 
little  more  than  400  feet.  We  saw  snow  on  mountain 
summits,  while  the  average  temperature  at  the  sea-coast 
is  700  to  8o°. 

There  are  not  many  full-blood  Hawaiians  and  very 
few  native  grass  huts.  Japanese  make  up  half  of  the 
population. 

As  this  is  to  go  with  the  steamer  tomorrow,  I  will 
leave  you  at  Honolulu,  we  having  made  the  return  trip 
very  comfortably  in  twelve  hours  from  Hilo.  We  feel 
that  even  though  the  volcano  is  not  active,  it  paid  to  take 
the  Hilo  trip. 

We  are  so  well  and  enjoy  this  climate  and  country  so 
much  that  we  have  decided  to  remain  here  until  the  spring. 


FURTHER  GREETINGS  FROM  HONOLULU 
As  I  have  been  writing  for  two  hours  getting  ready  to 
mail  papers,  programs,  letters,  photographs,  and  so  on, 
until  I  now  have  28  pieces  ready  for  the  next  mail,  I 
cannot  truthfully  say  that  I  am  inspired  to  write  manu- 
script, but  I  will,  nevertheless,  for  a  little  while,  attempt 
to  give  an  idea  of  some  things  I  have  seen  here  during  the 
"Mid-Pacific  Carnival"  week.  I  must  first  say  that  all 
of  the  program  for  one  week  was  carried  through  by  us 
on  schedule  time,  and  that  means  much  when  it  implies 
sitting  for  long  periods  of  time  at  a  stretch  on  boards  with- 
out a  rest  for  the  back!  We  had  season  tickets  which 
gave  us  seats  next  to  the  Governor's  section,  and  that 
meant  having  the  sun  on  our  backs  instead  of  shining  in 

[  16] 


FURTHER   GREETINGS   FROM   HONOLULU 

our  faces;  being  in  front  of  the  open-air  stages,  rather  than 
to  the  side,  or  in  back  of  them;  and  less  crowding — as 
well  as  the  chance  to  see  that  the  Governor  and  the  old 
Hawaiian  Queen  behaved  themselves  as  should  such 
dignitaries!  By  the  way,  I  am  promised  an  opportunity 
to  meet  the  Queen  and  see  her  home.  I  can't  help  but 
wonder  if  she  knows  where  dear  old  Philly  is  on  the  map, 
and  whether  she  will  make  some  silly  speech,  such  as  did 
one  dear  man  here  the  other  day.  We  were  being  shown 
through  his  beautiful  home,  and  I  remarked  (as  his  friend 
asked  me  to  do  after  hearing  me  say  so)  that  he  bore  a 
striking  resemblance  to  my  father.  He  at  once  said, 
"That  must  have  been  a  long  time  ago!"  Now  what  did 
he  mean?  And  what  did  a  gentleman  mean  yesterday 
when,  as  we  were  talking  with  him,  he  said  I  looked  so 
happy;  of  course  I  replied,  "I  am  happy  every  minute"; 
then  he  said:  "It  must  agree  with  you  here,  and  you  look 
young  too,"  and  then  went  on  to  say  that,  apart  from  all 
the  other  benefits  received  here,  the  return  of  youth  was 
noticeable?  It  had  been  illustrated  by  old  race  horses 
brought  here  lame  and  useless  that,  with  care  and  time, 
went  back  on  the  track  and  gained  honors.  Now  tell 
me,  please,  were  we  so  decrepit  looking?  or  was  he  merely 
admiring  our  "youthful"  skin,  unspoiled  with  powder 
or  paste,  and  not  yet  so  black  as  native  skins?  He  was 
a  Boston  man,  though  he  has  been  here  most  of  his  life: 
well,  he  is  very  nice  to  talk  with,  so  I  have  forgiven  him ! 

The  bands  have  worked  day  and  night  and  have  done 
well  (one  is  playing  now  on  the  beach  within  my  hearing 
while  I  write,  so  should  I  put  a  few  bars  of  music  down, 
please  don't  wonder,  for  I  nearly  have  a  case  of  "band- 
music-on-the-brain"!),  but  nevertheless  here's  hoping 
that  after  tomorrow's  parade  and  ball  I  don't  hear  a  band 
for  a  long  time,  for  that  isn't  my  kind  of  music. 
[17]  2 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

On  Punch-bowl  crater  (extinct)  there  was  a  pyrotechnic 
display  representing  an  active  volcano.  It  was  so  real 
as  nearly  to  make  observers  shudder,  and  while  all  re- 
marked the  beauty  of  the  display,  some  exclaimed  that 
if  it  were  half  so  real  as  it  looked,  all  would  be  running 
(I  wonder  where?)  instead  of  sitting  quietly  enjoying  the 
scene.  It  was  even  so  realistically  arranged  that  the  lava 
could  be  seen  flowing  down  the  side  of  the  mountain,  but 
we,  being  recipients  of  special  tickets,  instead  of  running, 
sat  comfortably  on  the  roof-garden  of  Young's  hotel  to 
see  this  terror-suggesting  spectacle. 

Next  evening  we  went  to  Moihili  Park  to  witness 
another  pyrotechnic  display,  and  it  proved  a  wonder, 
indeed,  to  all  who  saw  it.  Mr.  John  H.  Wilson,  of  Los 
Angeles,  was  entirely  responsible  for  this  exhibit.  A 
trapeze  performer,  a  fiery  automaton  with  red  shoes,  gave 
a  very  realistic  horizontal  bar  exhibition  of  the  muscle 
grind,  back  swing,  and  giant  swing,  until,  through  excess 
zeal,  he  shook  himself  to  pieces. 

The  bengolio,  or  balloon,  was  also  perfect:  after  rising 
several  hundred  feet  it  emitted  samples  of  all  colors  of  the 
rainbow,  shooting  stars,  gold  dust,  silver,  small  change, 
etc.  After  ascending  what  seemed  a  mile  or  more  over 
our  heads  it  turned  in  an  instant  as  though  it  had  caught 
up  a  wireless  message  to  return  home,  and  went  off  to 
sea  toward  China,  where  it  was  made. 

The  pigeon  house  was  another  marvel.  After  seeing 
the  house  in  all  its  beauty  there  darted  from  it  two  pigeons 
(fire,  of  course),  one  from  either  side.  Each  went  about 
50  yards,  and  after  staying  there  quite  a  little  while, 
deliberately  made  a  straight  flight  back  to  the  house,  both 
reaching  it  at  the  same  time.  Nor  was  this  enough;  they 
again  came  out,  made  the  same  flight  to  and  fro,  and  then 
the  house  disappeared. 

[18] 


FURTHER   GREETINGS   FROM   HONOLULU 

A  Sioux  Indian  chief  in  full  war  regalia,  with  bow  and 
arrow,  took  long  aim  at  a  snow  owl  (fire)  sitting  on  a  stump 
a  hundred  yards  away;  he  drew  his  bow,  let  fly  his  arrow, 
and  killed  the  owl  first  shot.  It  could  not  have  been  a 
nicer  feat  of  archery  had  they  been  alive. 

The  rockets  were  wonderful, — quite  beyond  description. 

A  silver  cascade  with  molten  star  dust  falling  over  a 
clifF  into  the  sea,  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  the  wild 
roar  of  the  breakers,  was  gorgeous — it  reminded  us  of 
Niagara. 

The  bombardment  and  capture  of  Adrianople,  a  spec- 
tacular picture  of  war  with  some  very  realistic  features, 
was  wonderfully  clever.  The  city,  with  its  towers  and 
minarets,  was  outlined  against  the  background,  and  guns 
played  hot  and  fast  from  two  directions.  Their  heavy 
detonations  could  be  heard  for  miles  and  shook  all  the 
grounds  where  we  were.  The  word  "Aloha"  (which 
means  many  things  here,  according  as  it  is  used,  as: 
greetings,  welcome,  I  love  you,  good-by,  and  others) 
stood  out  prominently,  and  finally  burst  into  silver,  gold, 
and  crimson. 

This  magnificent  exhibition  lasted  an  hour  or  more,  and 
was  exceedingly  entertaining.  It  was  so  real  that  when  I 
was  telling  some  one  the  next  day  of  the  pigeon  house  and 
spoke  of  the  flight  of  the  pigeons,  she  gasped  and  ex- 
claimed, "Poor  dear  little  animals!" — then  it  was  time  for 
all  to  have  a  good  laugh! 

For  the  benefit  of  any  who  may  not  think  of  this  as  a 
real  city,  let  me  say  that  on  this  night  of  fireworks  we  saw 
iooo  automobiles — for  we  had  first  to  find  our  own,  and 
then  sit  in  line  to  wait  our  turn  to  get  out  of  line  on  to  the 
road.  It  made  us  think  that  when  we  see  the  cars  waiting 
outside  the  Academy  at  home,  we  will  remember  how  few 
are  there  in  comparison  and  wait  patiently,  for  we  had  to 

[19] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

wait  here  the  better  part  of  an  hour.  I  know  that  before 
I  came  here  I  had  no  idea  of  the  size  of  this  city,  the  pro- 
gressive spirit,  wealth,  and  number  of  its  citizens,  so  I 
note  these  little  things  in  passing  in  case  any  of  my  readers 
may  feel  as  I  had  felt  concerning  Honolulu. 

We  were  favored  that  night,  as  for  every  part  of  the 
program,  with  perfect  weather.  Though  it  is  usually 
fine  weather  here,  we  are  liable,  in  the  midst  of  a  fine  day, 
to  have  a  heavy  shower — it  doesn't  last  long  at  any  time, 
and  proves  only  a  blessing  by  settling  the  dust,  refreshing 
vegetation,  etc. ;  but  for  the  entire  week  of  the  Carnival  the 
showers  were  at  night,  when  we  were — as  all  should  be — in 
bed. 

NEXT  DAY— MOVING  DAY 
I  wrote  yesterday  until  I  was  threatened  with  writer's 
cramp,  and  now,  after  having  packed  this  morning  and 
having  had  the  excitement  of  getting  into  our  own  home, 
I  cannot  say  that  I  feel  like  writing,  but  I  do  feel  like 
telling  you  all  of  this  darling  home.  Are  you  interested 
in  the  "help"  question?  I  will  first  introduce  that  part 
of  the  household  to  you.  The  cook  is  a  man  who  at  one 
time  worked  in  Bishop  Restarick's  home,  so  he  comes 
highly  recommended,  and,  judging  by  our  first  meal, — 
lunch, — he  is  very  efficient.  The  maid  (both  are  Jap- 
anese) is  nearly  pretty,  is  sixteen,  though  we  all  agree  she 
looks  quite  over  twenty;  she  is  dainty  and  very  clean 
and  fresh  looking,  and  after  the  way  she  helped  me  pack 
and  served  lunch  I  am  quite  happy  in  the  feeling  that 
again  we  are  very  fortunate  in  so  soon  having  obtained 
help  that  seems  so  unusually  satisfactory.  They  were 
secured  for  us  by  our  good  friends,  whose  beautiful  home 
we  have,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew, — she  is  the  Bishop's 
daughter.     They  have  done  everything  for  our  comfort 

[20] 


NEXT       DAY    MOVING        DAY 

in  leaving  us  this  home,  taking  with  them,  when  they  went, 
simply  their  clothing,  leaving  us  all  silver,  linens,  and 
everything  to  make  a  "home"  complete,  even  to  a  canary 
bird  and  chickens  and  32  beautiful  ferns — and  here's 
hoping  that  I  won't  forget  my  new  job  of  watering  them 
and  caring  for  the  canary! 

I  suppose  you  are  wishing  to  know  about  the  home,  so 
I  will  attempt  to  tell  you:  The  furniture  is  mostly  ma- 
hogany indoors,  while  the  porches  are  furnished  in  wicker. 
As  we  enter  there  is  first  a  porch  inclosed  in  vines  and 
growing  plants;  on  it  are  a  chair-swing,  chairs,  and  table. 
From  the  porch  we  pass  into  the  parlor,  or  living  room, 
which  contains  a  piano,  desk,  lovely  chairs  of  all  shapes, 
a  music  cabinet,  center  table,  and  a  couch  which  is  really 
a  davenport.  From  one  side  of  this  room  we  walk  out 
on  to  the  "lanai,"  which  is  a  living  room  inclosed  in  wire 
screen  and  with  sliding  windows.  It  is  really  a  continua- 
tion of  the  front  porch,  but  is  furnished  with  rug,  tables, 
ferns,  tea  service,  rockers,  and  a  couch  which  is  really 
as  wide  as  a  bed  in  case  one  wishes  to  sleep  outdoors. 

By-the-way,  I  didn't  tell  you  the  names  I  must  pro- 
nounce daily  now — the  man  is  "Watanobe,"  the  maid  is 
"Kuma."  Now  to  return  to  the  plan  of  the  house: 
Leading  from  another  side  of  the  parlor  is  the  dining  room, 
prettily  furnished  with  all  possible  things  that  a  bride  is 
likely  to  receive  (for  this  couple  were  only  married  in 
October) — sets  of  silver,  silver  dishes,  vases,  etc.,  cut  glass 
in  abundance,  chafing  dish,  electric  toasters,  silver  tea 
service,  and  lovely  china.  From  another  side  of  the  living 
room  we  enter  one  of  the  bed-rooms;  it  is  furnished  in  oak 
with  double  bed,  bureau,  dressing  table,  and  chairs.  From 
this  room  we  go  into  the  front  bed-room,  furnished  in 
mahogany,  with  the  same  pieces  as  the  other  plus  a 
chiffonier.  This  room  has  a  door  onto  the  porch,  and  win- 
[21] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

dows  form  the  whole  front  and  side.  Now  do  you  wonder 
I  hate  to  stay  in  stuffy  cities?  Also  the  house  stands  on 
a  hill,  so  we  can  see  Diamond  Head  Mountain  toward  the 
sea;  the  sea  too  is  in  sight,  though  quite  far  away;  from 
the  back  of  the  house  mountains  can  be  seen  all  around. 

There  is  a  nice  pantry;  the  kitchen  has  a  beauty  gas- 
range  and  all  conveniences.  An  outside  porch  is  back  of 
the  kitchen,  and  there  is  a  separate  house  in  the  yard  for 
the  maid,  containing  her  room  and  the  laundry.  There 
is  a  garage  where  we  will  store  trunks,  for  we  do  not  keep 
our  car  and  man,  but  rent  them  by  a  monthly  agreement 
which  gives  us  exclusive  use.  The  man  is  white,  good- 
looking  and  clean,  and  careful.  In  the  large  yard  around 
the  house  we  have  trees  and  plants  and  a  hibiscus  hedge. 
A  gardener  will  come  regularly  to  attend  to  all  of  that, 
and  the  cook  will  care  for  the  chickens.  Now  if  there  is 
aught  else  you  would  like  to  know  just  ask  me!  We  feel 
quite  bride  and  groom  like,  and  never  were  so  happy  in 
our  lives:  but  here's  hoping  the  ideal  home  conditions 
will  last,  for  the  Japanese  people  are  very  touchy  and 
liable  to  leave  in  a  minute  without  notice,  though  there 
are  always  plenty  more!  The  maid  will,  I  believe,  be  a 
jewel.  She  has  unpacked  my  trunk  and  fixed  my  room 
very  neatly,  and  has  laid  out  my  clothes  to  wear  to  the 
military  ball  tonight.  She  will  keep  all  gloves  and  shoes 
cleaned,  do  all  mending,  in  fact,  wait  on  us  generally — 
and  won't  dear  Lover  be  glad  not  to  hook  up  dresses  for 
a  while !  We  have  lovely  closet  room  and  a  large  bath-room. 
We  couldn't  be  more  cozy  or  comfortable. 

Well,  I  think  I  started  out  to  tell  you  of  the  Carnival. 
I  did  not  suppose  I  should  get  off"  onto  the  Baird  house- 
keeping carnival,  but  believing  that  these  details  would 
interest,  I  have  stopped  to  give  them,  and  will  now  proceed 
with  the  other  or  real  Carnival. 

[22] 


NEXT        DAY    MOVING        DAY 

Another  very  interesting  feature  was  a  fern  and  hi- 
biscus show.  There  were  hundreds  of  varieties  of  the 
latter,  and  they  are  surely  beautiful.  I  could  not  attempt 
descriptions  except  to  say  that  they  are  of  all  colors,  and 
that  the  double  ones  are  equal  in  attractiveness  to  a  full- 
blown American  Beauty  rose — if  red,  there  are  double  ones 
in  other  colors — and  some  single  ones  are  so  lily-like  as  to 
be  a  great  surprise  when  one  comes  upon  them;  in  none 
of  them,  however,  is  there  much  fragrance. 

The  Oriental  play,  "The  Mayor  of  Tokio,"  in  a  flowery 
open-air  theater  in  Oahu  College  grounds,  was  so  fine 
that  it  is  to  be  repeated  later  in  the  opera  house.  The 
lighting  device  was  charming  in  effect:  electric  bulbs  in 
Japanese  lanterns — thousands  of  them.  The  music  was 
exceptionally  well  rendered,  not  only  by  the  orchestra, 
but  by  soloists  and  chorus  as  well.  The  costumes  were 
all  Japanese,  except  for  such  characters  as  represented 
people  from  the  States,  and  the  color  schemes  were  very 
artistic.  This  spectacular  performance  had  thousands 
of  witnesses. 

Such  a  wonderful  climate  will  have  me  developing 
climat-itis  of  the  brain! — not  too  hot  nor  too  cold  to  sit 
outdoors  for  hours  at  night,  and  glorious  stars  showering 
their  beauty  down  upon  us  and  the  scenes  before  us,  and 
while  we  have  had  many  showers  at  night  and  between 
times  to  lay  the  dust  and  cool  the  atmosphere,  there  was 
not  one  shower  while  a  carnival  performance  was  going 
on.  I  defy  any  one  to  live  here  a  week,  or  less,  and  not 
wish  to  stay  forever! 

We  witnessed  another  particularly  interesting  per- 
formance, again  in  the  open,  only  this  one  was  in  the  sun- 
shine: "The  Wooing  of  Umi  and  Piikea,"  a  native 
Hawaiian  story  of  the  fifteenth  century.  As  the  plot 
of  the  story  was  laid  on  both  the  Island  of  Maui  and  on 
[23] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

this  one,  and  the  final  ceremony  was  here,  they  played  it  as 
the  original  was  enacted  and  all  arrived  in  canoes,  landing 
on  the  beach,  which  was  right  beside  the  grandstands. 
Not  much  can  be  said  about  the  costumes, — except  for 
two  famous  feather  capes — but  a  great  deal  might  be 
said  about  the  masculine  physiques  which  were  quite 
conspicuous!  The  women  are  too  corpulent  to  attract 
much  attention,  due  to  the  rather  indolent  lives  they  lead, 
while  their  love  of  sports  is  largely  responsible  for  the 
finely  developed,  muscular  men.  The  entire  setting  was 
unlike  anything  any  of  us  had  ever  seen,  and,  of  course, 
there  was  no  speech  except  in  the  Hawaiian  tongue.  The 
Hula  dances  interested  many,  and  because  they  are  so 
much  spoken  of  I  was  glad  to  see  them;  but  now 
I  shall  look  more  charitably  upon  the  tango  and  the 
turkey  trot,  for  such  a  wiggle  as  these  were  I  never  im- 
agined. They  were  done  by  women  only,  and  each  one 
by  herself. 

We  went  to  a  masked  ball  (unmasked)  and  saw  a 
thousand  or  more  participants  competing  for  the  prizes, 
and  were  we  not  surprised  when  one  of  the  only  two  persons 
present  who  knew  us  asked  us  to  act  as  judges?  Knowing 
how  impartially  we  would  be  able  to  decide,  we  consented, 
but  the  worst  was  yet  to  come — imagine  the  color  of  my 
face  when  the  other  one  of  the  "only  two"  asked  me  to 
go  up  on  the  stage  and  present  the  prizes  to  the  winners! 
Well,  it  did  no  good  to  insist  that  some  one  better  known 
should  have  that  honor,  so  I  left  the  gallery  and  went  the 
length  of  that  enormous  room  and  was  boosted  (the  steps 
had  been  removed  to  make  more  room  for  the  dancers) 
up  on  the  platform,  and  did  the  stunt,  and  was  lifted 
down — I  haven't  dared  ask  if  the  dear  souls  injured  their 
backs  managing  my  190  pounds!  But  I  found  out  that 
it  is  much  less  embarrassing  to  be  conspicuous  in  large 

[24] 


NEXT        DAY    MOVING        DAY 

crowds  than  among  a  few,  and  that  to  know  but  few  in 
such  a  crowd  makes  it  easier  than  to  know  many. 

The  water  carnival  in  the  harbor  was  an  occasion  never 
to  be  forgotten,  for  many  reasons.  The  harbor  was  a 
fairy  land  with  lighted  boats  and  Japanese  lanterns  by  the 
thousands.  The  boats  paraded  past  all  the  grandstands, 
and  some  were  particularly  clever  and  artistic:  one  launch 
had  a  string  of  lanterns  revolving  lengthwise  of  the  boat; 
the  "pirate''  boat  was  so  real  that  I  did  not  enjoy  their 
yells  and  shots!  The  color  effects,  with  the  lights,  the 
flags,  etc.,  were  lovely,  but  the  boats  carrying  bands  were 
not  so  popular,  though  well  decorated,  for  they  used  little 
discretion  in  keeping  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  so 
that  at  one  time  there  were  three  bands  on  the  water  and 
one  on  shore,  all  playing  within  hearing.  Now  do  you  say 
I  like  music  ?  yes,  I  do,  but  not  bands,  though  all  of  them 
here  play  well.  After  the  boats  went  back  to  their  several 
docks  there  was  another  pyrotechnic  display.  It  was 
quite  similar  to  the  one  I  have  already  told  you  about, 
but  they  introduced  one  real  novelty:  an  elephant  stand- 
ing in  front  of  a  water  trough  into  which  his  keeper  was 
pumping  water;  after  the  dear  animal  had  his  "full  and 
plenty"  he  raised  his  trunk  and  showered  his  keeper  until 
he  was  washed  away.  Now  one  could  hardly  realize 
this  without  seeing  it,  for  each  detail  was  just  as  clear  as  a 
picture,  and  one  had  to  remind  himself  that  he  was  looking 
at  fireworks. 

The  attack  upon  Constantinople  was  also  very  fine. 
The  noise  from  the  guns  certainly  made  one  think  of  the 
horrors  of  war. 

Next  we  witnessed  the  swimming  races.  They  were 
quite  exciting  to  us,  and  more  so  to  the  people  who  knew 
the  contestants.  San  Francisco  did  herself  credit,  and 
in  one  or  more  instances  broke  world  records.  There 
[25] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

was  one  Hawaiian  man  who  heretofore  had  carried  off 
all  honors  given  here,  for  these  native  men,  if  trained,  are 
real  athletes.  The  short  races,  those  up  to  225  yards, 
were  soon  run  and  finished,  but  when  it  came  to  880  yards 
and  a  mile,  it  was  quite  another  matter.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  watch  the  different  characteristics:  some  start  off 
boldly  but  drop  out;  some  go  on  deliberately  until  the 
end,  etc.  One  of  the  contestants  was  a  one-legged  man. 
He  didn't  even  use  crutches  when  out  of  the  water,  but 
hopped  around.  We  sat  in  the  sun  on  benches  for  three 
hours  to  see  these  races,  so  you  may  well  imagine  they 
were  worth  while  and  were  well  managed. 

We  were  home  only  one  hour  for  lunch  between  this 
morning's  races  and  the  one  o'clock  start  in  our  car,  for  a 
good  corner  from  which  to  see  the  flower  parade  com- 
fortably, without  having  to  sit  in  the  sun  on  one  of  those 
awful  backless  boards  that  were  made  of  no  soft  material, 
I  can  assure  you!  I  might  as  well  tell  jokes  on  myself 
as  on  the  other  fellow:  I  started  to  read  while  waiting 
this  hour  and  a  half,  but  the  combined  effect  of  the  heat, 
late  hours,  and  the  present  quiet  time  made  me  so  sleepy 
that  I  put  back  my  head  and  dozed  off,  thinking  that  no 
one  here  would  know  me.  On  Monday  I  was  asked, 
"How  did  you  enjoy  your  sleep  out-of-doors  on  Satur- 
day?" and  soon  discovered  that  at  least  four  people  who 
knew  us  had  seen  me,  so  no  more  sleeps  in  public  for  me, 
thank  you! 

The  flower  parade  was  quite  good.  Many  of  the  floats 
were  designed  to  suggest  some  kind  of  business — such  as  a 
man  dressed  entirely  in  blown-up  auto  tires — or  some  olden 
time  scene  or  native  custom.  Each  Island  was  repre- 
sented by  a  procession  of  mounted  men  and  women,  a 
queen  leading.  Some  of  the  private  autos  taking  part 
in  this  parade  were  decorated  with  natural  flowers,  but 

[26] 


NEXT        DAY    —    MOVING        DAY 

they  showed  the  effect  of  the  heat  and  sun  so  much  that 
those  using  artificial  flowers  really  made  the  best  appear- 
ance. 

After  a  six  o'clock  dinner  on  this  same  day  we  went 
out  again  at  seven  to  see  the  Japanese  lantern  parade, 
which  was  very  effective  indeed.  The  best  float  was  a 
light-house  with  a  real  revolving  light.  Those  near  the 
starting-point,  however,  are  the  only  ones  who  saw  it, 
for  the  horse  drawing  it  balked,  seeming  to  prefer  to  soar 
toward  heaven  rather  than  to  remain  on  earth  with  vile 
creatures  and  such  nonsense  as  a  "parade"!  so  he  had 
to  be  taken  away  home;  but  he  was  not  thrashed,  though 
I  confess  I  was  wishing  I  could  get  out  and  give  him  a 
lesson  in  obedience! 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  people  enter  into  things  with  such 
enthusiasm  as  they  do  here — everybody  either  participated 
or  looked  on  during  these  festivities.  It  was  beautiful 
to  see  fathers  hold  children  up  in,  and  above,  a  crowd  for 
hours  at  a  time.  It  interested  me  to  see  that  there  were 
as  many  Japanese  and  Chinese  on  the  grandstands  as  there 
were  white  people  or  Hawaiians.  These  two  nationalities 
are  very  nice  in  their  family  life,  especially  the  Chinese, 
but  I  shall  have  more  to  say  of  that  in  some  future  letter. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  carnival  there  was  a  military 
parade,  but  as  it  was  moving  day  for  me,  I  sent  my  hus- 
band to  represent  our  large  family.  He  said  they  made  a 
very  good  showing.  There  are,  I  believe,  8000  here  now, 
and  more  coming  all  the  time — for  these  Japanese  must  be 
watched!  In  the  afternoon,  when  moving  was  pretty 
well  over,  I  left  a  maid  unpacking  and  we  went  off  to  see 
the  tournament  between  different  regiments.  This  was 
wonderfully  good — a  marvel  to  those  who  had  never  seen 
such  a  tournament,  and  a  creditable  showing  to  those  who 
were  able  to  compare  this  one  with  others.  The  riding 
[27] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

feats  were  very  skilful;  men  rode  four  horses  at  one  time, 
having  two  feet  on  two  horses  and  controlling  the  other 
two,  and  while  doing  this  even  did  jumping  exercises,  etc. 

The  artillery  display  was  noisy,  but  it  demonstrated  to 
what  quick  action  men  and  horses  could  be  trained.  It 
fascinated  me  to  watch  them  place  the  guns,  drive  the 
horses  away,  and  turn  the  guns  on  the  objective  point, 
all  in  an  incredibly  short  period  of  time.  In  the  "Tug 
of  War,"  or  test  of  strength  and  grip  of  the  hands,  the 
colored  contestants  were  successful  once  and  the  white 
men  once.  The  jumping  test  was  the  means  of  giving  us 
all  a  good  laugh,  for  though  many  of  the  men  scaled  that 
eleven-foot  fence  in  an  instant,  others  were  slow  and 
laughably  awkward.  The  bridge  that  was  constructed 
in  a  few  minutes  was  much  stronger  and  looked  better 
than  many  county  and  state  bridges  I  have  seen  made  of 
wood.  The  artillery  wagons,  many  horses,  and  men  went 
over  it  to  show  its  strength;  then,  after  a  sham  battle, 
one-half  of  the  men,  while  still  playing  their  guns  on  the 
enemy,  went  over  the  bridge  and  blew  it  up  behind  them. 
That  noise  must  have  shaken  the  earth,  and  helped  one  to 
realize  how  awful  must  be  the  real  thing. 

That  evening  at  nine  o'clock,  having  received  one  of 
their  special  engraved  invitations,  we  went  to  the  military 
ball  and  enjoyed  seeing  the  variety  of  uniforms  mingling 
with  men's  evening  suits  and  ladies'  fancy  dresses.  The 
color  effect  was  very  remarkable,  as  you  can  readily  imag- 
ine when  you  try  to  picture  2000  people  in  one  room. 
We  saw  enough  to  satisfy  two  non-dancing,  staid  old 
folks,  who  already  had  carnivalitis,  and  left  at  ten  forty- 
five,  feeling  that  though  we  had  thoroughly  enjoyed  every 
feature  of  the  carnival  (except  the  band  music),  we  were 
not  sorry  that  it  had  finished  today — just  in  time  for  us 
really  to  enjoy  home  life  in  our  new  home  that  we  had  just 

[28I 


NEXT        DAY    MOVING        DAY 

entered.  As  we  have  now  been  in  our  home  five  days, 
I  believe  you  will  be  interested  to  know  that  the  help  are 
quite  satisfactory,  though  I  do  wish  they  knew  more 
English,  for  they  always  say  "yes,"  and  I  never  know 
whether  they  understand  or  not.  For  instance,  if  you 
had  asked  to  have  lemonade  made  and  served  to  guests 
in  the  evening,  two  of  whom  were  to  be  dinner  guests, 
and  when  you  are  called  to  dinner  there  is  the  lemonade  on 
the  table,  how  would  you  feel?  But  mistakes  are  less 
embarrassing  because  everybody  here  understands  and 
excuses.  The  cook  is  really  very  fine,  and  so  economical 
that  I  hardly  need  to  buy  any  food  at  all!  We  feel  al- 
ready that  we  could  live  better  here  on  the  same  money 
that  it  costs  us  in  the  States  for  half  the  time;  in  other 
words,  could  live  a  whole  year  here  for  about  what  half 
a  year  would  cost  at  home.  We  have  all  fresh  vegetables, 
and  have  had  them  for  lunch  and  dinner  now  for  five 
days,  and  still  have  some  left,  at  a  cost  of  eighty-five  cents! 
and  as  for  the  help,  I  can't  discover  yet  what  they  eat. 
The  fish  and  lobster  are  delightful;  we  have  had  as  de- 
licious squab  and  steak  as  one  could  wish  to  eat,  and  we 
get  four  squabs  for  ninety  cents,  where  they  are  ninety 
cents  and  a  dollar  a  pair  at  home. 

I  am  constantly  more  enthusiastic — in  fact,  we  are,  for 
John  sings  Honolulu  praises  daily.  He  never  looked  or 
felt  so  well;  has  to  have  all  trousers  made  smaller,  and 
glories  over  me  by  saying  he  weighs  the  same  as  I  do  now 
and  will  weigh  less.  Our  golf  is  doing  us  both  good.  I 
too  find  my  clothes  getting  a  little  loose — and  here's 
hoping  I  lose  a  lot,  though  I  am  so  well  now  I  don't 
mind  carrying  the  weight. 

If  you  can't  realize  how  perfect  it  is  here  from  my 
descriptions,  just  come  see  and  we  will  show  you  the  time 
of  your  life ! 
[29] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

A  CHRONICLE  OF  SOME  OF  THE  THINGS  THAT 
MAKE  TIME  FLY  IN  HONOLULU 

If  you  should  ask  me  about  the  heat  here  and  how  we 
stand  it,  I  should  say  at  once,  do  not  credit  the  "120  in 
the  shade"  story  that  a  friend  of  mine  repeats,  for  it 
never  applies  to  this  wonderful  climate,  which  never  goes 
below  57,  and  never  goes  above  85.  Our  experience  has 
been,  too,  that  there  is  always  a  breeze  except  before  a 
shower,  so  either  breeze  or  shower  keeps  one  comfortable 
all  the  time.  We  know  neither  cold  nor  heat — except 
at  golf  some  days  it  is  hot  in  the  valley.  We  sleep  under 
a  blanket  every  night;  we  wear  white  clothes  and  shoes 
nearly  all  the  time,  and  enjoy  them  so  much  that  we  feel 
sorry  for  those  at  home  buried  in  overshoes,  furs,  and  rain- 
coats; those  things  are  put  out  of  sight  here.  .  And  as  for 
sleeping!  it  is  wonderful  how  we  trust  all  mankind  and  go 
off  to  dreamland  with  no  doors  shut  except  the  screens; 
in  fact,  I  know  of  no  way  to  lock  up  this  house,  so  we 
"while  living  in  Rome  do  as  the  Romans  do"  and  have  no 
fear.  Two-thirds  of  my  large  bed-room  has  windows  in 
place  of  walls,  and  there  are  two  outside  doors  besides, 
so  you  can  readily  imagine  how  we  revel  in  fresh  air  and 
would  dislike  living  where  we  must  be  shut  in.  According 
to  the  home  papers — which  we  get  here  only  twelve  days 
old — we  have  much  to  be  thankful  for  in  having  escaped 
this  "mild"  winter  there,  and  nearly  hourly  we  say, 
"What  if  the  home  folks  could  see  us  living  out-of-doors 
and  enjoying  the  blessed  sunshine  and  even  temperature!" 
Indeed,  we  are  truly  thankful. 

The  golf  links  are  the  most  difficult  we  have  seen  any- 
where, but  the  scenery  while  playing  surpasses  that  of 
any  links  we  know  of.  In  one  direction  the  sea,  with 
numerous  boats,  large  and  small,  coming  and  going;   and 

[30] 


HOW     TIME      FLIES      IN      HONOLULU 

from  each  of  the  other  three  sides  mountains  towering 
above  us.  Some  days  climbing  these  mountains  is  hard, 
especially  if  there  is  no  breeze,  and  because  of  this  previ- 
ous exertion  we  never  play  more  than  eleven  holes — usually 
only  ten.  As  hill  climbing  is  recommended  for  "cor- 
pulent people,"  we  do  it  with  a  grin,  and  even  in  so  short 
a  time  have  discovered  slight  progress  in  "reduction"; 
we  are  hoping  for  more  evident  results  before  we  leave. 
Should  you  presume  to  ask  how  well  we  play,  I  could  only 
reply  we  do  not  "play" — we  "exercise."  However, 
though  I  never  handled  a  club  before  I  came  here,  I  keep 
up  with  my  husband  and  we  play  about  alike.  My 
seemingly  weak  wrists,  and  really  weak  ankles,  seem  to 
keep  me  off  of  the  road  called  success,  but  I  keep  on  trying 
and  may  become  quite  proficient  some  day. 

As  for  my  kodak,  it  is  surely  a  great  pleasure  for  us,  and 
at  times  quite  an  exciting  pastime,  for  I,  like  the  children, 
long  to  see  the  result  the  minute  I  have  pressed  the  bulb — 
and  I  have  to  wait  the  better  part  of  two  days  before  I 
can  see  how  many  failures  I  have  made,  and,  incidentally, 
how  many  successes  I  may  have  scored.  Mr.  Perkins, 
the  photographer  who  does  my  developing,  kindly  tells 
me  my  errors  and  how  to  avoid  them,  so  I  am  learning 
something  each  week,  but  still  have  so  much  to  learn  I 
feel  I  know  nothing  as  yet.  I  find  time  and  interior  ex- 
posures very  difficult  and  very  fascinating. 

Since  we  left  the  beach  and  came  to  our  dear  little 
home  we  are  too  far  away  to  do  sea-bathing  and  golf 
without  giving  up  the  entire  day  to  it.  As  there  are  so 
many  other  things  to  do,  we  have  decided  that  two  or 
three  times  a  week  we  will  go  direct  from  golf  and  have 
our  swim.  We  tried  this  plan  last  week  for  the  first  time. 
We  leave  here  at  nine  and  return  at  one,  having  played 
golf,  motored  about  ten  miles  (to  and  from),  and  been  in 
[31] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

the  sea  for  half  an  hour.  For  the  benefit  of  those  who  re- 
member how  my  "gude  mon"  used  to  dislike  surf-bathing, 
let  me  say  that  he  really  enjoys  it  while  holding  on  to  me, 
and  is  now  going  to  take  swimming  lessons  from  a  native 
man.  It  does  me  good  to  see  people  grow  young  instead 
of  old,  and  enter  into  the  interests  of  outdoor  life,  for  that 
is  a  good  road  to  health  and  happiness. 

I  am  sorry  if,  in  my  enthusiasm  over  this  country,  I 
repeat  myself  and  weary  you  with  twice-told  tales,  but 
I  can't  possibly  remember  what  I  have  written  and  sent 
off!  The  flowers  are  very  attractive,  though  there  are  not 
so  many  varieties  of  those  best  known  to  us  in  the  States. 
The  Bougainvillea  in  brick-red,  scarlet,  and  purple  is  strik- 
ingly beautiful,  growing  as  it  does  in  massive  vines  that 
spread  out  forming  arbors  and  covering  buildings.  It  is 
frequently  grown  to  cover  old  buildings,  and  the  result  is 
that  the  unsightly  is  covered  and  concealed  by  the  flowers. 
The  hibiscus  hedges  are  gorgeous,  and  the  hundreds  of  va- 
rieties of  these  flowers  keep  one  continually  surprised,  for 
there  is  always  a  new  one  to  be  seen;  the  double  ones  are 
equal  to  roses.  Roses  themselves  are  not  such  a  success 
because  of  the  Japanese  beetle.  There  are  nice  roses,  of 
course,  but  they  are  not  so  plentiful  because  they  require 
so  much  more  care.  We  are  getting  pansies,  sweet  peas, 
asters,  African  (red)  daisies,  lilies,  chrysanthemums,  carna- 
tions, and  other  kinds  too  numerous  to  mention,  and  all 
very  reasonable  in  price,  too.  I  can  keep  three  or  four 
vases  full  for  fifty  or  seventy-five  cents  or  a  dollar  a  week. 

We  enjoyed  very  much  a  visit  to  Koko  Head  Mountain 
wireless  station.  Two  of  the  experts  tried  to  explain  that 
intricate  subject  to  us,  but  I  feel  sure  I  shall  never  be  able 
truthfully  to  say  I  understand  it. 

I  can't  remember  whether  I  have  told  about  seeing  the 
process  of  sugar  making  from  the  field  to  the  bags  in  the 

[32] 


ST.    ANDREWS    CATHEDRAL 


HONOLULU 


HOW      TIME      FLIES      IN     HONOLULU 

storehouses.  The  one  mill  we  visited  puts  out  60,000  tons 
a  year  at  #65  a  ton.  Nine  rollers  crush  the  cane,  put  out 
the  part  that  becomes  sugar,  and  so  squeeze  the  pulp  that 
it  is  dry  enough  to  be  used  for  fuel  to  run  the  engines. 
After  my  visit  I  can't  see  any  warrant  for  the  awful  stones 
that  are  heard  about  sugar  being  the  dirtiest  product  put 
on  the  market,  for  everything  is  done  by  machinery,  all 
of  which  looks,  and  is,  clean;  a  human  hand  never  touches 
it  in  all  its  processes  of  manufacture. 

I  suppose  that  I  should  tell  that  I  volunteered  to  do 
some  Lenten  work,  and  as  a  result  I  am  now  singing  alto 
in  the  Cathedral  choir.  The  organist  and  leader  is  a 
young  Englishman,  Mr.  Carter,  who  has  sung  or  played 
in  cathedral  choirs  all  his  life.  He  is  a  good  organist  and 
does  very  well  with  the  voluntary  choir.  In  the  morning 
it  has  about  thirty  singers;  in  the  evening  there  is  a  joint 
Chinese,  Hawaiian,  and  Cathedral  choir  of  about  fifty 
voices.  We  are  to  sing  "The  Crucifixion"  on  Good 
Friday,  and  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb"  for  the  Easter  an- 
them. I  feel  quite  at  home  doing  choir  work  again,  and 
am  so  glad  I  can  help  a  little.  The  choir  members  have 
been,  and  are,  beautifully  attentive  to  me.  The  sweet 
girls  from  the  Priory  school,  especially,  lavish  attentions 
upon  me,  and  I  sit  in  choir  with  one  of  them  on  either  side 
of  me.  The  alto  soloist  is  quite  a  noted  singer — a  Mrs. 
Anderson;  she  has  a  truly  beautiful  voice.  The  new  pipe 
organ  was  used  today  for  the  first  time,  and  was  a  great 
treat  to  both  choir  and  congregation  after  having  only  a 
small  organ  for  many  weeks. 

We  were  so  glad  to  find  here  Rev.  and  Mrs.  William 
Reese  Scott.  He  is  chaplain  out  at  Fort  Shafter.  He  was 
for  years  at  Media,  and  knows  so  many  we  know.  He  has 
been  away  from  Philadelphia  only  five  years,  and  has 
been  here  only  two  months.     They  have  called  and  soon 

[33]  3 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

we  are  to  entertain  them  here  and  be  entertained  there. 
He  is  a  very  good  preacher,  and  preaches  at  the  Cathedral 
every  Wednesday  evening  during  Lent;  they  are  charm- 
ing people  to  know. 

It  is  surprising  to  us  on  the  ground,  and  hardly  con- 
ceivable to  those  who  do  not  know  Honolulu,  the  num- 
ber of  automobiles  there  are  here — certainly  no  less  than 
a  thousand,  and  more  coming  in  on  every  steamer.  Well, 
I  can't  see  how  people  get  along  without  one;  I  am  sure 
I  wouldn't  wish  to  try,  for  though  the  trolley  service  is 
good,  it  is  not  overfrequent,  to  say  the  least,  and  there 
are  hilly  distances  to  cover;  we  use  ours  constantly. 
During  our  stay  of  more  than  a  month  now  we  have  had  a 
car  rented  by  the  week,  a  Cadillac,  with  exclusive  use  of 
car  and  man;  we  have  had  it  out  day  and  night,  for  long 
runs  and  short  ones,  and  haven't  yet  had  a  puncture  or 
trouble  of  any  kind  (I  hold  my  hand  on  my  wooden  head 
while  I  write!).  We  think  that  a  very  creditable  record. 
I  should  add  that  we  get  it  very  cheap,  too,  as  compared 
with  anything  we  have  ever  had  before,  at  home  or 
abroad. 

I  had  the  privilege  of  being  invited  as  a  guest  of  Mrs. 
Restarick's  to  a  native  reception  given  out  at  the  Country 
Club.  The  decorations  were  beautiful  beyond  descrip- 
tion. The  gowns  of  the  receiving  party  were  designed 
and  ordered  by  the  man  who  was  responsible  for  the  dec- 
orations. Mrs.  Shingle  (don't  worry,  they  never  meet!), 
the  hostess,  is  one  of  five  sisters,  all  very  well  married; 
they  are  half  white  (one  looks  more  so  than  I  do  just  now!). 
One  is  a  princess,  being  the  wife  of  the  adopted  son  of  the 
present  ex-queen.  There  were  hundreds  present,  and  I 
met  so  many  that  my  feeble  brain  was  threatened  with  a 
brain  storm — names  are  a  bugbear  to  me,  and  here  I  al- 
ready have  hundreds  to  remember. 

[34] 


HOW      TIME       FLIES      IN      HONOLULU 

And  now  you  will  wish  to  know  about  my  birthday; 
but  you  will  remember  that  "February  twenty-fifth" 
this  year  was  Ash  Wednesday,  so  no  festivities  that  day. 
On  the  evening  before  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGrew  dined  with 
us;  our  next-door  neighbors,  Mr.  Butolph  and  his  mother, 
called  at  eight,  and  as  it  was  just  about  time  to  cut  the 
birthday  cake,  they  joined  us  for  cake  and  cream.  We 
had  quite  a  jolly  time  over  the  cake  without  candles! 
They  all  spent  the  evening  with  us  and  left  their  congratu- 
lations and  best  wishes.  Having  been  in  our  home  only 
one  day,  I  think  we  did  very  well.  John  asked  the  cook 
to  make  the  cake,  so  that  was  a  surprise  to  me,  and  it  was 
a  very  pretty  one.  My  gift  was  one  that  was  purchased 
at  Grand  Canyon — four  Mexican  opals,  unmounted. 
They  are  truly  beautiful,  and  considered  something  quite 
special  because  of  special  colors  they  contain.  These  you 
may  see  after  Caldwell's  have  done  their  artistic  work  of 
setting  them.  As  for  the  real  day, — Ash  Wednesday, — 
we  enjoyed  every  minute  of  it  and  did  not  lose  many 
minutes.  First  we  went  to  the  ten  o'clock  service  at  the 
Cathedral — a  fine  service,  a  sermon  by  the  Bishop,  a  fine 
congregation.  We  were  home  only  forty  minutes  at 
lunch  time,  and  left  again  to  take  the  Bishop  and  a  lady 
singer  to  Schofield  Barracks  for  service  in  the  chapel  there 
— a  fine  attendance  and  a  lovely  service.  Home  two  hours 
at  dinner  time,  then  to  the  evening  service  at  the  Cathedral. 
Rev.  Mr.  Scott  preached  on  "Habit."  He  thoroughly 
masters  his  sermons,  and  holds  the  attention  of  old  and 
young.  After  service  I  had  my  first  rehearsal  with  the 
choir.  I  have  to  remember  that  I  am  singing  alto,  but 
I  do  love  it  better  than  soprano,  and  am  so  glad  they 
needed  me  on  that  side,  though  I  am  to  help  the  sopranos 
with  the  "  Crucifixion."  We  are  having  a  quiet  and  happy 
Lenten  season,  and  are  so  glad  not  to  be  touring  round,  as 
[3Sl 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

we  have  been  other  years.  We  are  enjoying  lectures  on 
Thursday  mornings  on  India,  given  by  Dr.  Staley,  the 
daughter  of  the  first  Bishop  to  Honolulu.  I  am  taking  a 
few  notes,  and  will  give  them  to  you  at  some  future  writ- 
ing. It  is  a  very  interesting  subject,  and  I  am  sorry 
Elmendorf  is  lecturing  in  Philadelphia  now,  for  I  had 
hoped  to  hear  him  on  India. 

The  longer  we  stay  here,  the  more  we  enjoy  it,  and  con- 
sider it  ideal.  We  have  very  few  mosquitos,  no  flies — 
seasons  of  plenty  of  ants,  but  they  are  least  annoying; 
in  fact,  nothing  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  outdoor  life 
or  comforts  of  home  either. 

Some  one  has  asked  me  how  much  it  is  a  word  for  cable 
to  Philadelphia.  Thinking  others  may  be  interested,  I 
will  answer  here  that  it  is  forty-seven  cents  per  word: 
thirty-five  cents  to  San  Francisco  and  twelve  from  there 
to  Philadelphia. 

Does  some  one  wonder  what  we  have  to  eat?  Well,  I 
could  easier  tell  you  what  we  haven't.  There  are  water- 
melons, strawberries,  tomatoes,  celery,  cauliflower,  string- 
beans,  new  potatoes,  sweet  potatoes,  carrots,  spinach, 
Chinese  cabbage  (very  delicious)  and  our  cabbage,  taro 
(roots  of  which  are  used  as  a  potato  or  for  making  the 
famous  native  poi,  taro  tops  (used  as  spinach  is),  new  peas, 
lima  beans,  alligator  pears,  lettuce,  fresh  figs,  wonderful 
pineapple,  beets,  corn  on  cob,  native  oranges,  artichokes 
— sorry  I  didn't  put  fruits  by  themselves,  but  I  am  just 
putting  them  down  as  I  think  of  them,  and  I  can't  think 
of  them  all  by  any  means.  All  I  have  mentioned  are  fresh 
goods  of  very  best  quality,  and  most  of  them  grown  on 
these  islands.  Now  do  you  think  we  live  on  vegetables 
only?  Well,  I  think  not!  There  are  live  chickens  and 
squabs  killed  when  you  wish  them;  the  best  fish  I  ever 
ate  in  my  life:    red  snapper  and  Kumm,  especially  fine, 

[36] 


HOW      TIME       FLIES      IN      HONOLULU 

but  very  expensive  because  the  Japanese  control  all  the 
deep-sea  fishing.  We  use  beef  killed  on  this  Island,  very 
good  lamb — in  fact  I  can*t  think  of  anything  we  can  get 
at  home  and  can't  get  here.  Best  leg  of  lamb  is  twenty 
cents  a  pound;  best  tenderloin  steak,  twenty-five  cents; 
but  chickens  raised  here  are  fifty  cents  a  pound,  and  those 
from  the  coast  are  forty,  so  what  we  save  on  meats  we 
spend  on  fowl,  but  it  takes  but  little  of  either,  for  I  can't 
tell  yet  what  the  help  eat — except  rice  and  jelly. 

How  I  wish  you  could  hear  my  "Pigeon-English"! 
"Two  stop  dinner" — that  means  guests,  of  course. 
"Pau,"  finished,  all  ready,  that  is  all.  I  can't  write  it, 
but  I  talk  it.  I  was  amused  when  the  maid  wished 
clothes'-line.  She  could  not  say  it  my  way,  so  she  took 
out  John's  coat  on  hanger  and  pointed  to  the  wire  loop 
and  then  to  the  coat,  and  said  "dirty  clothes."  I  said 
immediately,  "clothes'-line  and  pins,"  and  she  smiled  the 
smile  that  won't  come  off  because  I  was  so  quick  to  under- 
stand. We  really  get  along  beautifully,  considering  how 
little  English  they  speak,  though  the  cook  writes  it  quite 
well,  and  spells  correctly  on  his  order  lists  for  store  and 
market.  But  I  must  not  allow  myself  to  enthuse  too 
much  about  the  help;  they  are  very  good  and  we  are  very 
happy,  but  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  I  may  be  doing 
"chief  cook  and  bottle-washing  job"  myself,  for,  as  per 
experience  of  others,  I  look  hourly  for  an  eruption  of  the 
kitchen  crater  and  then,  Oh  joy!!  But  "sufficient  unto 
the  day  is  the  evil  thereof." 

I  should  tell  you  that  this  (as  you  think  it)  little  town 
has  all  electric  fire  equipment,  several  ice  plants,  electric 
light  plants,  and  hundreds  of  other  things  that  you 
wouldn't  believe  possible  until  your  see  it. 

It  is  now  time  to  go  out  to  a  lecture,  and  this  must  get 
off  in  the  mail  tomorrow,  so  farewell!  until  I  write  again. 
[37] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

All  keep  as  well  and  as  happy  as  we  do  and  you  will  be 
very  fortunate. 

We  are  enjoying  our  Lenten  season,  and  I  am  deeply 
impressed  by  the  never-ceasing  activity  of  the  Bishop  and 
his  workers.  They  stick  everlastingly  at  it.  One  dear 
teacher  tells  me  she  hasn't  any  day  or  evening  out  of  the 
seven  for  herself. 

Do  come  to  Honolulu,  and  do  try  to  come  while  we  are 
here! 

Goodnight,  and  "Mizpah!" 


AN  "UNINSPIRED"  LETTER 
Besides  lack  of  inspiration,  this  letter  has  back  of  it,  I 
fear,  a  little  of  what  is  known  in  the  States  as  plain  "lazi- 
ness," though  here  it  is  called  the  "Hawaiian  tempera- 
ment"— lack  of  ambition.  To  show  how  some  Hawaiians 
live  in  ease  and  comfort  I  heard  this  story  the  other  day, 
which  I  think  will  bear  repeating  for  the  benefit  of  the 
overcareful,  precise,  ambitiously  correct  Philadelphian. 
A  California  lady  came  here  with  letters  of  introduction 
to  two  gentlemen,  who,  though  not  born  here,  but  in  the 
States,  have  lived  here  so  long  that  they  conform  to 
the  customs  of  the  people.  Evidently  the  first  one  to 
whom  she  presented  her  letter  received  her  nicely  at 
his  store,  and  learning  that  the  second  letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  a  good  friend  of  his,  he  graciously  offered  to 
take  the  lady  out  to  the  home  of  his  friend  on  the  Sunday 
following.  She  accepted  his  courtesy  and  they  drove  out 
there  and  were  cordially  received  by  the  gentleman  of  the 
house  on  the  lawn,  and  lo  and  behold!  he  was  attired  in 
pajamas,  and  entertained  them  thus  all  the  afternoon,  and 
never  once  suggested  but  that  he  was  correctly  dressed! 
Needless  to  say,  the  lady  was  surprised;  she  also  felt  morti- 

[38] 


AN        ''UNINSPIRED''        LETTER 

fied,  but  her  escort  did  not  seem  to  think  it  at  all  out  of 
the  way,  and  informed  her  that  his  friend  was  simply- 
enjoying  the  freedom  and  pleasure  of  his  beach  home. 
Now  I  know  this  story  to  be  true,  but  I  do  not  know  of  any 
like  case,  either  from  hearsay  or  personal  observation,  so 
don't  think  that  all  here  live  in  that  much  ease  and  com- 
fort, and  I  am  quite  sure  we  will  never  come  to  it. 

And  here  is  another  true  story,  told  by  a  teacher  in  a 
Chinese  mission  school:  the  teacher,  after  giving  and  ex- 
plaining new  words,  asks  each  child  to  write  a  sentence 
using  the  new  word  correctly.  This  day's  new  word  was 
"trestle,"  and  one  of  the  sentences  read:  "A  good  father 
trestles  his  children  while  they  go  to  school."  When 
the  teacher  insisted  that  it  was  not  correctly  used,  the 
child,  quite  indignant,  insisted  that  she  knew  it  was  right 
because  the  dictionary  says  trestle  means  support,  "and 
I  know  our  father  trestles  us !" 

Have  I  asked  in  any  of  my  letters  why  Honolulu  is  the 
richest  city  in  the  world?  Answer:  It  has  a  Diamond 
Head  (mountain),  a  Pearl  harbor,  a  Koko  Head  (moun- 
tain), and  a  Punch-bowl  (a  crater).  And  now  I  will  see  if 
I  can  write  any  sense. 

I  am  in  love  (isn't  that  strange?)  with — my  Japanese 
maid!  I  told  you  once  that  she  is  "nearly  pretty"; 
since  I  know  her  better,  and  also  in  accordance  with  the 
expressions  of  some  of  my  callers,  I  now  leave  off  the 
"nearly."  Besides  I  was  always  taught  that  "pretty  is 
that  pretty  does,"  and  that  surely  applies  to  this  dear 
sixteen-year-old.  She  says  "  I  have  four  sisters  and 
brothers,  two  stop  home,  two  stop  school;  she  go  home 
Sundays  and  little  sister  call  out:  'Mama,  Kuma  come, 
come  quick!'"  She  had  worked  only  four  months  be- 
fore coming  to  me,  and  I  had  feared  I  would  have  trouble, 
but  she  is  a  wonder.  She  hunts  work  to  do,  insists  upon 
[39] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

doing  up  all  table-cloths,  and  steals  away  with  my  fine 
waists  to  do  up.  When  I  tell  her  she  is  "too  young  to 
do  much  laundry,"  all  she  says  is,  "I  like  iron  too  (very) 
much,"  and  she  does  it  beautifully.  She  is  all  smiles,  and 
so  smart  that  I  nearly  envy  her  her  ability  to  mimic  and 
to  learn.  She  does  all  mending,  and  after  I  have  worn  a 
dress  she  steals  it  out  to  her  little  house,  and  when  I  see 
it  next  it  is  beautifully  pressed.  She  is  so  clean — never 
wears  an  apron,  yet  never  has  a  spot.  And  such  silence! 
with  two  servants  one  could  hardly  believe  it  possible; 
they  speak  in  a  whisper  and  work  the  same  way.  I  often, 
in  my  thought,  compare  them  with  noisy  "Katie"  or 
"Mary" — isn't  it  strange?  They  wash  up  every  dish 
and  pan  before  they  eat  any  meal  themselves,  and  except 
rice,  I  can't  see  what  they  eat.  The  most  fun  I  have  had 
for  a  long  time  was  when  I  asked  them  if  I  might  take 
their  pictures:  "Yes,  yes,  tank  you!  tank  you,  tank  you, 
yes,  yes!"  and  then  the  chatter  in  Japanese  while  I  was 
focusing,  etc.  It  was  rich  to  see  and  hear,  and  I  am 
hoping  I  secured  fine  pictures.  Watanobe  was  quite  abashed 
because  he  had  "no  hat,  no  coat,  they  stop  home." 
In  other  words,  he  had  come  in  the  morning  without  hat 
and  coat.  He  is  economy  personified;  he  says:  "Gas 
stove  cost  too  much,  wood  more  better."  "Why,  Wat- 
anobe?" "Wood  cost  seven  eight  dollar,  gas  ten  dollar, 
I  tink."  "Yes,  but  wood  more  trouble."  "Oh  no,  more 
better,  more  cheap,  wood."  When  I  didn't  comply  with 
the  first  request  to  buy  canned  tomatoes,  I  received  the 
second  request,  so  I  asked:  "Why  you  like  can  tomatoes?" 
"Oh,  more  cheap,  more  cheap;  fresh  tomatoes  more  dear." 
You  may  remember  we  live  on  top  of  a  hill.  The  post- 
man told  Watanobe  to  tell  us  to  put  a  letter-box  down 
front,  but  instead  of  telling  us  he  made  a  wooden  one  him- 
self out  of  a  box  and  placed  it  down  at  the  entrance.     As 

[40] 


AN        ''UNINSPIRED''       LETTER 

for  his  cooking — it  is  fine,  though  he  declares  "he  no  good 
cook."  But  when  I  tell  you  that  in  more  than  a  month 
now  we  have  not  had  the  same  dessert  or  salad  twice, 
and  every  one  of  them  has  been  delicious,  to  say  nothing 
of  all  the  rest  of  the  cooked  food,  you  will  believe  me  when 
I  say  we  think  ourselves  most  fortunate  and  happy  to 
have  gotten  him.  He  is  married  and  lives  at  home,  and 
receives  from  us  seven  dollars  a  week.  Kuma  lives  in  a 
little  cottage  back  of  ours  and  receives  five  per  week. 

As  I  sit  on  this  lanai  (porch)  and  write,  with  the  beau- 
tiful breezes  blowing  around  me,  I  can  but  wonder  how 
you  would  like  to  have  such  climate  there.  Really,  I 
fear  we  will  be  two  restless,  miserable  creatures  if  ever 
closed  in  between  brick  walls  and  dirty  streets  again. 
We  are  about  ready  to  sing  a  song:  "Honolulu  forever!'' 
and  are  looking  at  houses  and  lots  already,  so  all  who  love 
us  would  better  plan  to  follow  us  to  this  "  Paradise  of  the 
Pacific,"  for  it  is  the  only  place  to  live! 

I  have  finished  crocheting  a  navy  blue  tie  for  John,  and 
am  now  well  started  on  a  lavender  one.  I  have  issued 
orders  that  he  have  his  fat  chin  sliced  some,  so  as  not  to 
stain  the  new  silk  ties.  As  he  weighs  much  less,  he  shows 
he  is  making  an  effort  to  comply  with  my  orders.  He  is  so 
well  that  he  has  to  pinch  himself  to  see  how  pain  feels,  and 
so  brown,  that  instead  of  looking  like  a  United  States  man, 
he  looks  like  a  native  Hawaiian.  I  should  be  loath  to 
remark  this,  for  I  am  not  very  white  and  emaciated  look- 
ing myself,  and  I  too  have  to  be  reminded  that  nine  months 
ago  I  was  "condemned  to  die." 

I  think  I  am  a  model  wife,  don't  you?  Why?  Well, 
because  I  am  at  home  trying  to  write,  while  I  have  sent 
my  good  husband  out  riding  with  two  ladies!  The  fact 
is  that  with  golf,  sea-bathing,  candy  making,  two  after- 
noons a  week  as  a  Lenten  offering  for  the  Priory  girls, 
[41] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

"At  home"  every  Thursday  afternoon,  and  taking  Priory 
teachers,  missionaries,  etc.,  out  riding,  I  can't  keep  up 
with  my  writing,  which  is  nearly  sufficient  to  keep  a  sec- 
retary busy.  So  today  I  said,  "You  go  and  do  the  honors 
as  host  and  ask  the  teachers  to  excuse  the  hostess,"  but 
to  show  what  a  busy  lady  I  am,  I  have  to  be  dressed  and 
ready  when  John  comes  at  five  to  go  with  him  to  make  two 
calls  that  are  overdue  now. 

Our  Thursday  afternoons  are  very  pleasant.  We  have 
had  twenty-one  callers  this  first  month,  and  for  strangers 
in  town  I  think  that  is  rather  proving  that  we  are  not 
"strangers!"  Of  course,  that  does  not  include  those  call- 
ing on  other  days  than  Thursdays.  In  the  month  we  have 
had  guests  for  two  luncheons  and  four  dinners;  this  num- 
ber is  small  because  we  are  avoiding  any  merry-making  in 
Lent.  So  far  we  have  been  invited  out  to  only  two  dinners, 
but  people  understand  that  we  prefer  not  to  be  until  after 
Easter. 

We  are  surely  enjoying  our  Lenten  season,  and  find  it 
such  a  contrast  to  the  ones  spent  traveling!  The  ser- 
vices and  sermons  are  very  much  to  our  liking,  and  the 
longer  we  know  Bishop  Restarick  and  Canon  Ault,  the 
more  we  realize  what  a  strenuous  life  of  sacrifice  they  lead, 
and  how  much  of  the  wonderful  success  of  the  work  here 
is  due  to  their  untiring  efforts  and  their  love  of  the  people. 
Their  wives  are  nice,  helpful  women  too.  I  do  enjoy  my 
choir  work  very  much — haven't  missed  a  service  since  I 
started,  and  find  singing  alto  much  more  interesting  than 
soprano.  I  have  been  asked  to  join  the  choral,  but  have 
declined. 

Do  let  me  ask  you  to  enlighten  people  who  are  under  any 
impression  other  than  that  Honolulu  is  part  of  the  U.  S.  A. 
It  is  a  standing  joke  here  what  the  States  people  say  and 
write  about  it — even  in  letters  from  Washington,   and 

[42] 


AN        ''UNINSPIRED'   >        LETTER 

from  many  people  well  versed  in  history,  etc.  And  never 
allow  any  one  to  think  of  the  people  here  except  as  clean, 
wholesome,  educated,  and  progressive.  I  have  just 
learned  that  there  is  an  automobile  here  for  every  six  of 
the  white  population.  The  newspapers  here  keep  us  in 
touch  with  daily  news  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

It  is  a  good  thing  I  didn't  start  to  send  this  in  diary 
form  this  winter,  for  two  reasons:  not  only  would  I  have 
failed  to  get  it  off  promptly,  but  each  day  brings  so  much 
that  is  the  same  as  another  that  it  would  be  uninteresting 
matter  to  send  home,  though  I  do  keep  up  my  diary  for 
myself. 

When  I  told  you  of  the  things  that  use  up  my  time,  I 
didn't  include  my  kodak,  and  I  can  tell  you  I  spend  many 
hours  experimenting  with  that,  but  I  begin  to  feel  en- 
couraged now  and  believe  I  will  learn  eventually. 

I  want  to  say  here  that  I  answer  (by  a  photo  usually) 
each  letter  received,  so  that  if  you  do  not  receive  my 
answer  you  will  know  that  either  yours  or  mine  has  gone 
astray.  And  should  you  have  noticed  a  San  Francisco 
postmark  on  letters,  I  will  explain  that  we  did  not  run 
up  there  in  the  car  to  mail  them,  but  were  merely  too  late 
at  the  post-office  for  a  ship's  mail  and  took  them  down  to 
the  mail  bag  on  the  ship. 

I  am  hoping  our  Easter  cards  will  be  attractive  and  en- 
joyed. I  have  not  seen  the  finished  work  yet,  but  we 
spent  hours  trying  to  get  suitable  pictures,  and  being  an 
amateur,  it  so  happened  that  either  focus,  light,  or  back- 
ground was  always  wrong;  but  at  last  we  accepted,  and 
had  finished,  150  in  these  two  styles. 

So  that  you  may  know  how  active  we  are,  I  might  say 
that  I  rise  at  six  thirty  to  six  forty-five  every  day  and  sel- 
dom rest  during  the  day.  John  rises  at  seven,  or  seven 
fifteen  (whenever  I  call  him),  and  does  find  time  for  naps, 
[43] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

but  he  doesn't  look  after  household  duties,  crochet,  kodak, 
read  something  every  day  besides  daily  papers,  and  write 
diary,  etc.  I  can't  remember  to  record  all  my  mail,  but 
I  have  a  record  of  over  200  pieces  sent  out  so  far,  and  that 
does  not  include  Hayes  Home  or  choir  postals  or  Easter 
cards.  I  still  must  write  to  each  recipient  of  a  magazine, 
and  now  I  must  rewrite  my  lecture  on  Palestine  because 
I  have  been  asked  to  give  it  here  and  have  not  my  manu- 
script (my!  how  many  times  I  wish  for  things  in  that  house 
trunk  that  was  packed  to  be  sent  to  California  and  is  still 
with  Fidelity  storage!).  Today's  isn't  the  only  ride  I 
will  have  to  forego. 

I  have  been  asked  in  a  letter  what  tithes  the  people  here 
pay  to  Uncle  Sam.  Though  I  am  not  prepared  to  make  a 
technical  reply,  I  might  just  say  that  all  the  government 
here  is  under  the  United  States  and  the  same  rulings  are 
in  force.  All  tariff  is,  of  course,  an  income  to  the  United 
States,  and  taxes  are  paid — even  the  income  tax. 

I  was  also  asked  why  there  are  so  many  Orientals  (Jap- 
anese and  Chinese)  here.  The  question  of  labor  for  the 
cane  plantations  first  brought  them,  and  now  there  are 
at  least  fifteen  nationalities  here.  The  Porto  Ricans 
and  Filipinos  are  considered  a  menace  because  so  unlike 
the  cleanly,  honest,  quiet  Oriental  home-seeker.  As  to 
the  answer  to  the  question :  "Are  many  of  them  Christians  ?" 
I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give  any  authentic  figures,  so  will  not 
attempt  any  definite  answer,  but  will  say  that  our  own 
church  alone  has  eleven  congregations  in  Honolulu,  and 
there  are  many  others  among  other  denominations.  Our 
Bishop  considers  the  Chinese  the  most  religious  people 
here.  They  are  doing  a  wonderful  work  among  their  own 
people:  are  just  now  building  a  new  church,  because  they 
have  outgrown  their  old  one.  They  give  of  time  and  money 
freely,  and  are  very  faithful  in  attendance  at  services. 


AN        ''UNINSPIRED''        LETTER 

Though  there  are  some  heathen  temples  here,  there  can't 
be  many,  for  I  haven't  seen  one  yet — and  surely  if  "Chris- 
tianity" is  to  be  judged  by  a  life  of  honesty  and  industry, 
I  should  think  there  is  a  great  deal  of  it  among  the  Ori- 
entals. I  am  hoping  to  give  a  lecture  on  Honolulu  next 
fall,  and  if  I  do,  I  shall  try  to  have  some  data  along  this 
as  well  as  other  lines  which  I  haven't  now. 

We  are  still  struggling  with  the  technicalities  of  golf, 
and  fully  understand  why  it  is  said  to  be  the  hardest  of 
games  to  learn.  We  have  each  had  one  lesson,  and  I  am 
soon  to  have  my  second,  and  hope  to  learn  some  day  how 
to  avoid  the  earth  and  the  air  and  send  a  ball  in  the  right 
direction.  There  is  one  thing  to  be  said  in  our  favor — we 
haven't  either  one  of  us  yet  lost  a  ball  that  was  not  found 
with  a  little  hunting. 

John  has  had  his  first  two  swimming  lessons  from  men — 
and  I  can't  say  how  many  from  me;  all  I  can  say  is,  if 
any  of  you  want  to  do  Lenten  penance,  just  try  to  teach 
a  man  to  swim  who  says  he  can't  get  his  feet  up!  But  I 
"cheer  up,"  for  he  will  do  it,  I  believe,  before  Lent  is  over, 
and  he  enjoys  the  water  so  much  that  it  is  worth  while, 
though  he  be  slow  to  have  confidence  in  himself.  I  ex- 
pect to  be  quite  muscular  soon,  but  am  not  sorry  he  weighs 
less! 

We  saw  a  twelve-inch  gun  the  other  day  that  requires 
twenty-five  men  to  handle  it. 

We  have  been  to  a  lecture  on  the  care  of  tuberculosis,  in 
which  Dr.  Sinclair,  the  lecturer,  shows  that  this  disease 
takes  a  toll  of  200,000  annually  in  the  United  States — 
10,000  in  New  York  city  alone;  and  here  an  average  of 
one  a  day — entirely  among  the  Orientals,  who  leave  their 
out-of-door  lives  and  homes,  and,  coming  here,  try  to 
adapt  themselves  to  our  mode  of  living,  which,  with  their 
large  families,  makes  it  necessary  to  crowd  into  small, 
[45] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

badly  ventilated  places  to  live.  The  death-rate  from 
tuberculosis  here  is  more  than  50  per  cent,  greater  than 
that  from  any  other  disease.  But  I  should  tell  you  that 
I  have  seen  but  one  funeral  in  nearly  two  months.  I 
think  that  speaks  well  for  the  climate  and  the  life  here. 

From  the  way  I  have  rambled  on,  I  fear  you  will  think 
I  have  a  brain  storm  or  nervous  prostration;  I  haven't 
either,  but  am  just  chatting  as  I  would  if  I  could  talk  with 
you. 

I  think  I  told  you  I  had  taken  pictures  of  my  "loved 
ones,"  the  Japanese  pair  that  run  this  household.  Now  I 
can  tell  you  that  they  turned  out  fairly  well.  The  two 
dear  souls  have  Sunny  Jim's  laugh,  or  the  "smile  that 
won't  come  off,"  and  again  I  have  had  a  "tank  you,  tank 
you"  from  them.  Two  friends  happened  in  today,  just 
in  time  to  see  Kuma,  "the  short  of  it,"  trying  to  hook 
up  the  gown  of  Mrs.,  "the  long  of  it,"  and  were  enjoying 
the  way  I  bent  my  knees  and  the  intensity  of  her  interest 
in  her  work,  when  I  discovered  them  all  ready  for  a 
laugh — which  we  had  after  the  little  jewel  had  left  the 
room. 

I  think  I  have  told  you  how  cheap  food  is  here;  now  I 
must  tell  you  of  this  week's  experience:  I  was  down  at 
market  and  suddenly  spied  watermelons,  so  set  my  heart 
on  having  one  at  once.  Fortunately,  I  asked  the  price, 
and  I  nearly  fell  down  when  told:  "One  dollar  half." 
When  I  turned  and  asked  some  one  if  the  man  had  meant 
"a  half  dollar,"  he  said,  "No,  they  never  go  below  #1.50 
here  because  of  a  certain  bug  that  destroys  the  vine  and 
makes  it  nearly  impossible  to  grow  them."  You  may  say 
you  have  seen  them  cost  that  much  at  home;  well,  so  have 
I,  but  not  one  so  round  and  small  that  it  would  go  into  a 
half-peck  measure!  I  need  hardly  tell  you  that  I  very 
quickly  decided  that  watermelon  was  not  good  for  us,  and 

[46] 


EASTER   SUNDAY   IN   HONOLULU 

that  we  would  much  prefer  a  dessert  made  by  the  "dear 
Jap  "  anyway !  How  is  that  for  economy  ?  We  are  getting 
fresh  asparagus  from  the  Pacific  coast  now,  and  find  it 
quite  good,  though  never  like  that  grown  in  the  East. 
And  have  I  told  you  what  delicious  lobsters  we  get? 
Certainly  just  as  fine  as  in  Maine,  and  quite  inexpensive: 
we  can  get  two  for  seventy  or  eighty  cents. 

We  do  enjoy  the  home  mail,  and  always  feel  relieved 
after  reading  that  all  is  well  on  both  sides  of  the  house. 
We  are  sorry  for  every  one  who  had  to  brave  the  hard, 
bad  weather,  and  doubly  so  for  those  who  suffered  any 
injuries  or  even  discomforts  because  of  it,  and  we  are 
truly  thankful  to  have  been  able  to  escape  it.  We  have 
had  four  mails  in  and  four  out  this  week;  how  does  that 
read  to  any  one  who  may  think  we  are  isolated  or  far 
from  home? 

And  now,  that  my  readers  may  not  be  subjected  to 
"brain  storm,"  and  that  this  may  not  have  to  go  as  a 
package,  rather  than  a  letter,  and  that  I  may  keep  some- 
thing to  tell  you  next  time,  I  will  say  "Mizpah"  and  good- 
night! 

EASTER  SUNDAY 
With  a  heart  full  of  Easter  joy  I  greet  you  today,  hoping 
that  you  have  had  the  perfect  day  there  that  we  have  had 
here,  and  that  you  enjoyed  as  fine  service  or  services  as 
we  have.  Our  morning  service  crowded  the  Cathedral 
at  eleven.  Chairs  had  to  be  put  in  every  available  place. 
And  I  should  tell  you  that  that  congregation  was  composed 
of  only  whites  and  English-speaking  people  (the  Chinese 
having  their  own  church  and  service,  and  the  Hawaiians 
having  their  separate  service  in  the  Cathedral  at  nine 
fifteen)  and  I  am  not  saying  how  many  worshiped  in  the 
two  early  communion  services,  but  heard  the  Bishop  say 
[47] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

that  people  thronged  to  these  early  services — I  say,  when 
one  sees  or  knows  of  all  this  evidence  of  a  spirit  of  worship, 
it  is  impossible  not  to  be  stirred  and  inspired.  And  now, 
before  I  can  write  further,  I  must  put  away  my  work  and 
go  out  to  see  the  children's  three  o'clock  service  in  the 
Cathedral.  At  that  time  all  the  Sunday  schools  under 
the  Bishop's  care  have  a  procession  into  the  Cathedral 
and  there  present  their  Easter  offerings,  and  how  happy 
they  are!  and  how  they  have  worked  to  earn  pennies! 
They  have  not  been  above  doing  anything  if  it  be  honor- 
able, to  earn  something  for  their  mite  boxes.  The  whole- 
hearted, sincere,  and  happy  disposition  of  the  people  here 
is  very  inspiring,  and  might  well  be  a  lesson  to  thousands 
in  other  places. 

Now  we  have  returned  from  the  children's  service  and 
feel  that  we  might  go  the  world  over  and  never  see  such 
a  sight  elsewhere!  Each  Sunday  school  marched  to  the 
Cathedral  with  its  banners  flying,  and  were  seated  as  they 
arrived  until  they  finally  filled  the  entire  Cathedral. 
Then  the  joint  choirs  of  the  several  missions  and  all  the 
clergy  came  in  and  filled  the  entire  chancel,  having  to  use 
extra  chairs.  They  then  had  their  usual  service  of  carols, 
evening  prayer,  and  sermon,  after  which  one  member  of 
each  mission  responded  to  the  roll  call  of  the  missions  and 
went  forward  to  the  altar,  bringing  with  him  or  her  a  white 
bag  distinctly  marked  with  the  name  of  the  mission  and 
the  amount  of  the  Lenten  offering  which  it  contained. 
Last  year's  Sunday  School  offering  from  the  Islands  to  our 
Board  of  Missions  was  one  thousand  dollars.  They  are 
hoping  for  more  this  year,  but  will  not  know  the  amount 
for  a  couple  of  weeks  yet.  Then  there  were  carols  and 
hymns,  and  each  school  marched  up  and  down  the  aisles, 
out  into  the  Cathedral  close,  and  back  into  the  church 
to  finish  the  service.     I  could  never  begin  to  describe  the 

[48] 


EASTER   SUNDAY   IN   HONOLULU 

scene  so  that  you  could  have  any  idea  of  its  unique  quality 
and  picturesque  setting.  There  were  about  800  children, 
and  they  represented  about  twenty  different  nationalities, 
those  standing  out  most  prominently  being  the  Koreans, 
Japanese,  Chinese,  Hawaiians,  and  whites.  This  service 
is  considered  quite  remarkable,  and  numbers  of  people  go 
to  see  it  each  year,  having  to  stand  or  to  sit  on  chairs  in 
the  vestibule  to  see  it  at  all.  I  took  several  pictures  of  it, 
but  do  not  anticipate  any  phenomenal  success,  for  moving 
objects  are  not  easily  taken  at  best.  I  am  hoping  for 
some  good  ones,  however. 

This  evening  the  Knight  Templars  will  come  to  the 
service  in  a  body,  and  again  the  church  will  be  crowded. 
I  should  think  the  clergy  would  take  great  satisfaction  in 
their  work  here,  for  the  people  respond  so  well.  This 
morning's  collections  were  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  and 
they  hope  by  the  close  of  the  day  to  have  twenty-five 
hundred,  so  that  the  last  payment  may  be  made  on  the 
ten  thousand  dollar  organ  just  finished.  Bishop  Restarick 
is  so  beloved  and  respected  that  people  say  of  him:  "If 
he  asks  for  anything,  he  gets  it."  He  surely  is  a  plunger, 
never  ceasing  day  or  night,  and  his  delight  in  the  work 
done  at  the  Priory  is  wonderful.  He  feels  a  personal 
interest  in  every  one  of  those  ninety  boarders,  and  seems 
to  love  each  one.  To  see  his  face  when  he  whispered  to 
me  this  morning  before  service  that  the  Priory  girls  had 
an  Easter  offering  this  year  of  a  hundred  and  forty-one 
dollars,  as  against  eighty-six  last  year,  would  have  cheered 
any  heart;  he  is  so  proud  of  their  love  for,  and  devotion 
to,  the  work  of  the  church.  These  girls  are  of  all  ages 
from  five  to  twenty.  I  can't  myself  see  how  any  one  could 
help  loving  them,  they  are  so  sweet  and  lovable!  They 
are  of  all  the  national  mixtures  you  can  imagine.  I 
think  I  told  you  of  the  one  here  from  Chestnut  Hill — 
[49]  4 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

half  Chinese,  half  Irish.  Bishop  brought  her  from  New 
York  to  California  alone  last  fall,  then  he  and  his  wife 
brought  her  here.  She  is  a  dear,  and  the  pet  of  all  who 
know  her,  but  afraid  of  us  for  fear  we  will  take  her  home 
again. 

My,  how  I  rattle  on  and  change  the  subject  every  other 
line!  but  my  mind  works  faster  than  my  hand. 

Now  I  want  to  say  a  little  about  the  Lenten  season.  I 
cannot  tell  of  all  the  services,  but  every  day  there  was  one 
at  8.45  a.  M.  and  5.10  P.  M.  A  children's  service  at  four 
on  Fridays.  Every  morning  the  Priory  girls  and  the 
Iolani  School  (boys)  came  in  procession  and  filled  the  ^^^ 
greater  part  of  the  Cathedral.  The  girls  wear  veils  made^* 
of  white  muslin  held  on  over  the  front  of  the  head  with  an 
elastic,  and  they  do  look  so  sweet!  I  wore  one  myself 
on  Good  Friday  because  I  sang  for  the  three-hour  service 
with  the  Priory  girls'  choir,  and  they  wear  no  other  vest- 
ment than  these  veils.  Several  remarked  how  well  the 
old  married  woman  looked  in  her  veil!  Having  men- 
tioned the  subject,  I  want  to  tell  you  here  about  that  beau- 
tiful and  inspiring  three-hour  service.  The  Cathedral 
was  filled,  and  a  third  of  the  number  were  men — just  think 
of  that  for  a  service  from  twelve  to  three!  The  Bishop 
gave  ten-minute  talks  on  all  of  the  different  last  words  of 
Christ  before  His  crucifixion,  and  applied  them  to  the 
present.  He  tells  us  that  he  had  many  letters  thanking 
him  for  the  helpful  service.  /  surely  enjoyed  that  three 
hours — so  much  so  that  I  was  not  conscious  of  its  being 
longer  than  any  other  service. 

I  am  much  impressed  with  the  general  spirit  of  this  city 
during  Holy  Week.  There  seemed  a  cessation  of  all  social 
functions  during  the  entire  week,  and  a  marked  demonstra- 
tion of  their  regard  for  Good  Friday,  most  of  the  business 
places  being  closed  at  noon.     Another  thing  that  inter- 

[  50  ] 


EASTER   SUNDAY   IN   HONOLULU 

ested  me  was  the  noonday  services  during  Holy  Week: 
they  were  held  on  the  roof  garden  of  the  largest  hotel,  and 
were  well  attended  by  men  and  women.  Our  Bishop 
preached  on  Monday,  and  the  clergy  of  other  denomina- 
tions pn  the  other  days.  The  services  consisted  of  music 
and  good  sermons,  all  of  them  on  the  "last  words"  and 
the  "last  acts."  I  must  not  tire  you,  but  I  have  been  so 
greatly  impressed. by  the  general  observance  of  Lent  here 
that  I  can't  help  t^tflfcing  about  it.  I  haven't  told  you,  I 
think,  that  on  eacnWednesday  evening  Chaplain  William 
Reese  Scott,  who  was  at  one  time  at  Media,  preached  at 
the  Cathedral  and  seems  to  be  thought  of  as  the  best 
preacher  here.  He  is  not  only  a  fine  preacher,  but  a  fine 
pastor  as  well  to  these  army  men,  and  a  charming  man 
personally. 

If  you  want  to  know  about  the  music,  you  ought  not  to 
ask  a  choir  member!  But  I  will  tell  you  what  some  others 
said,  as  several  spoke  to  me  expressing  an  opinion;  all 
seemed  to  agree  that  the  "Crucifixion,"  which  we  sang 
on  Wednesday  night,  was  better  rendered  than  on  any 
previous  year,  and  that  the  Easter  music  was  "beauti- 
fully sung."  Perhaps  I  haven't  told  you  what  we  sang: 
"Worthy  is  the  Lamb,"  from  Haydn's  Messiah;  Wood- 
ward's Communion  service;  and  Harwood's  Te  Deum  in 
A  flat.  The  choir  is  entirely  volunteer,  but  they  have 
some  very  good  talent,  among  them  being  a  contralto 
trained  abroad.  She  trained  expecting  to  sing  in  grand 
opera,  but  a  lawyer  came  along,  and  though  in  five  years 
he  saw  her  only  five  times,  he  never  would  take  "no"  for 
an  answer,  so  he  met  her  in  Switzerland  without  waiting 
for  the  letter  that  was  to  bring  her  final  answer,  and  which 
said  "wo,"  and  as  a  woman  has  the  privilege  of  changing 
her  no  to  yes,  they  were  married  there  and  came  here  to 
live.  She  is  a  darling!  She  was  calling  here  one  day  and 
l5i] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

told  John  that  she  and  I  being  the  two  married  ladies  in 
the  choir,  should  be  the  staid  and  dignified  ones,  but  in- 
stead of  that  we  were  like  two  girls  together.  She  has  a 
truly  beautiful  voice.  I  have  already  been  asked  to  re- 
main in  the  choir  until  we  leave,  and  to  become  a  per- 
manent member  of  it  when  we  return  here  to  live.  There 
is  one  trained  and  very  sweet  voice  among  the  men,  but 
most  of  them  are  quite  good.  One  of  them  said  to  John 
the  other  day:  "I  saw  you  in  church  yesterday."  John 
replied,  "Yes,  I  am  usually  or  always  there,  for  my  wife 
sings  in  the  choir."  He  exclaimed,  "Indeed,  so  do  I. 
Is  your  wife  the  lady  with  glasses?"  You  can  draw  your 
own  conclusion  from  this  as  to  the  number  of  glasses  worn 
in  the  choir! 

Now  I  must  tell  you  more  of  our  happy  Easter,  for  not 
only  did  we  enjoy  the  church  services  that  I  have  told 
you  about,  but  as  usual  I  was  a  pet,  and  received  many 
things  I  must  tell  you  about.  First  I  must  tell  you  that 
I  presented  "Hubby"  with  a  lavender  tie  I  had  crocheted, 
and  he  wore  it  with  his  full  white  suit,  and  looked  a  picture 
— but  that  is  not  strange,  for  he  always  looks  so  lovely  in 
white  clothes  that  I  am  sorry  his  Philadelphia  family  and 
friends  cannot  see  him  in  them.  This  was  tie  number  two 
since  coming  here,  so  you  see  I  have  no  idle  moments. 
Now  back  to  my  presents:  I  received  two  boxes  from 
Philadelphia  containing  five  presents,  and  we  both  re- 
ceived many  cards  from  home,  and  some  from  here.  And 
as  for  flowers:  there  was  one  bunch  of  violets,  one  bunch 
of  African  daisies,  three  dozen  pink  carnations,  two  dozen 
yellow  chrysanthemums,  and  last,  but  not  least,  I  re- 
ceived from  a  gentleman  a  darling  tiny  straw  hat,  trimmed 
and  in  a  bandbox,  and  under  the  hat  a  little  pasteboard 
house.  When  he  presented  it  he  said  I  would  excuse 
slang  if  he  said  that  he  knew  that  I  had  had  a  house  under 

[52] 


EASTER   SUNDAY   IN   HONOLULU 

my  bonnet  for  some  time.  Lest  you  may  not  understand 
his  meaning,  I  will  right  here  explain  that  he  is  a  friend 
who  has  acted  as  broker  for  his  friend,  Mr.  Davies,  and  us, 
in  selling  us  the  new  beach  home  of  his  friend.  Now  isn't 
that  a  happy  thing  for  me  to  be  able  to  write?  We  are 
walking  on  air  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  most  of  the 
future  being  spent  here,  going  home  each  fall  to  visit. 
How  does  this  read  to  those  of  my  friends  who  wrote  me: 
"You  can  love  Honolulu  all  you  like,  just  so  you  don't 
love  it  better  than  Philadelphia "  (well,  I  do  all  right,  and 
who  would  not?),  or  the  ones  who  said:  "Some  day  you 
will  want  to  be  living  there !"  Yes,  you  both  and  all 
prophesied  very  well,  and  I  have  yet  to  know  of  any  one 
seeing  the  beauties  here  without  wishing  to  remain.  Just 
this  morning  I  overheard  in  the  bath-house:  "Oh,  Jessie, 
isn't  it  wonderful  here?  Wouldn't  you  like  to  stay  for- 
ever?" and  the  reply:  "Yes,  by  Jove,  all  my  life!"  And 
they  only  came  in  on  the  ship  this  morning  and  leave  to- 
night for  the  Orient. 

As  for  the  new  home,  I  might  say  a  great  deal,  but  time 
forbids;  enough  to  say  for  the  present  that  the  house  was 
finished  just  before  last  Christmas,  that  it  is  furnished, 
except  with  linens,  and  that  it  is  one  of  the  very  few  most 
desirable  lots  on  the  beach.  We  can  step  off  our  lawn 
into  the  sea,  and  from  the  road  entrance  we  have  a  beauti- 
ful lawn  well  covered  with  palms.  The  property  was  not 
for  sale,  but  the  owner  is  going  to  England  for  a  year,  and 
as  they  have  a  very  fine  town  residence,  and  their  sugar 
business  has  had  such  a  slump,  he  said  to  his  friend,  and 
ours,  "You  can  offer  your  friends  my  beach  home!"  We  are 
being  congratulated  in  all  directions  on  being  able  to  se- 
cure that  property,  and  as  to  the  beautiful  reception 
given  us  ever  since  we  arrived,  it  is  now  very  much  accen- 
tuated— since  it  is  known  that  we  are  to  become  residents. 
[S3] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

We  feel  as  though  we  had  known  the  people  here  for  years, 
and  already  have  many  very  good  friends.  We  now  antic- 
ipate going  into  our  home  on  the  twenty-third  of  this 
month,  having  been  offered  the  use  of  table  linen  and  bed 
linen  by  two  friends  until  our  home  box  reaches  here  early 
in  May.  The  house  is  furnished  with  everything  else  we 
need.  I  do  wish  you  all  might  see  this  object  of  our  pres- 
ent excitement  and  surplus  joy.  I  can  only  hope  that  we 
can  persuade  many  home  people  to  come  here  to  visit — 
or,  better  still,  to  stay. 

You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  Kuma  is  still  a  rare 
jewel;  she  is  a  most  lovable  creature,  and  very  enthusi- 
astic about  the  new  home.  She  says:  "Yes?  Too  nice" 
(too  always  meaning  very),  "too  nice;  Mister  too  much 
money.  Waikiki,  nice,  too  nice.,,  And  could  you  have 
seen  her  face  and  heard  her  joyful:  "Too  much  flowers !" 
each  time  a  bunch  arrived  on  Saturday,  it  would  have 
done  you  good. 

Watanobe  is  only  to  be  with  me  until  we  move  to  the 
beach.  He  is  not  kind  to  Kuma,  and  as  he  offered  to  leave, 
I  said  "All  right."  I  have  engaged  Mrs.  Davies'  cook,  a  very 
fine  man  (a  Jap),  so  no  trouble,  but  everybody  "  'appy." 

I  was  much  interested  to  see  flags  hung  at  some  door- 
ways, Japanese  people  and  their  children  wearing  a 
piece  of  crepe,  and  all  the  Japanese  stores  closed  on  Sat- 
urday, just  when  they  might  have  done  much  business, 
being  the  day  before  Easter — all  because  of  the  death  of 
the  Empress  of  Japan,  thus  showing  that  they  are  still 
loyal  to  the  country  they  wouldn't  go  back  to  live  in, 
and  I  admire  them  for  it. 

Do  you  home-keepers  know  about  a  jam  or  preserve 
made  of  rhubarb,  with  orange  and  orange  peel  sliced 
through  it?  I  had  never  heard  of  it,  and  we  think  it  very 
good.     That  is  only  one  of  many  things  I  have  eaten  and 

[54] 


EASTER   SUNDAY   IN   HONOLULU 

liked  that  I  had  never  seen  prepared  in  the  same  way  be- 
fore. We  haven't  had  a  dish  yet  that  we  have  not  en- 
joyed. 

I  was  amused  at  what  Mrs.  Davies  told  me  today  about 
her — and  my — new  cook.  When  I  asked  if  he  had  any 
peculiarities  that  I  should  know,  she  said,  "He  is  very 
fond  of  making  good  things,  and  you  may  think  him 
extravagant  with  milk  and  eggs  and  cream;  if  you  do, 
just  tell  him  so,  and  after  that,  when  you  order  something 
made,  he  may  ask  you,  as  he  often  does  me,  "rich  man's 
or  poor  man's  style?" 

Some  one  has  asked  how  far  we  are  from  home.  I  will 
reply  here,  for  the  benefit  of  any  other  wondering  one 
who  may  not  know:  we  are  a  little  over  5000  miles,  it 
being  about  2100  from  here  to  San  Francisco. 

Any  one  writing  us  before,  or  on,  May  15th  can  send 
it  here,  Kalia  Road,  Waikiki;  after  that  it  will  be  safer 
to  send  all  mail  to  the  Philadelphia  office.  Our  summer 
address  seems  very  uncertain.  Since  the  box  of  linen  and 
silver  is  coming  here  so  that  we  can  use  our  home  and  then 
rent  it  until  our  return,  we  feel  more  inclined  to  give  up 
the  idea  of  having  a  home  in  California  this  summer,  but 
rather  think  we  will  motor  for  three  months,  seeing 
Yosemite,  Lake  Tahoe,  and  the  entire  state  of  California. 

If  my  record  is  true,  it  looks  as  though  I  haven't  written 
one  of  these  letters  since  March  25th.  I  am  sorry  if  I 
have  been  so  delinquent,  but  I  must  confess  I  can't 
promise  to  mend  my  ways  in  the  future,  for  I  believe  that 
from  now  on,  since  Lent  is  over,  and  since  it  is  known  that 
we  are  residents  of  Honolulu,  we  will  be  very  busy  folks 
every  day,  so  never  look  for  more  than  a  photo  acknowl- 
edging your  individual  letters. 

For  tomorrow  I  have  accepted  a  luncheon  invitation, 
and  in  the  evening  we  are  going  to  the  opera  house  to  hear 
ISSl 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

a  violin  recital.  For  Wednesday  evening  we  have  some 
guests  that  we  are  taking  out  to  the  Country  Club  to  a 
dance,  and  we  find  the  special  attraction  to  be  a  demon- 
stration of  the  new  dances  by  a  man  expert,  rather  than 
the  dancing  itself.  On  Thursday  afternoon  I  go  to  a  re- 
ception as  a  guest  of  honor.  On  Friday  we  take  the 
Bishop  and  Canon  Ault  on  an  all-day  automobile  trip 
around  this  Island,  and  on  Saturday  I  have  invited  two 
guests  to  dinner  and  two  others  to  join  us  in  the  evening 
to  go  to  see  an  exhibition  by  an  artist  of  colored  slides  of 
pictures  he  has  taken  on  the  Island.  Now  I  haven't  put 
down  in  this  outline  the  golf,  swimming,  and  other  inci- 
dentals, but  just  given  you  an  idea  of  the  way  a  part  of 
the  time  is  occupied.  I  have  just  now  come  from  quite 
an  American  party,  where  we  saw  hundreds  of  children 
rolling  eggs  on  one  of  the  fine  lawns  here.  It  was  at  the 
home  of  Ex-Governor  Frear,  and  I  said  "American,"  be- 
cause the  Frears  first  saw  this  egg-rolling  ceremony  in  our 
city  of  Washington  on  the  White  House  lawn,  and  they 
came  home  inspired  to  give  to  all  the  first-  and  second- 
grade  school  children  of  Honolulu  the  chance  to  have  such 
a  party  on  Easter  Monday  of  each  year.  And  there  we 
saw  playing  all  together,  as  one  people,  many  classes  and 
kinds  of  children:  Koreans,  Japanese,  Chinese,  Portu- 
guese, Hawaiians,  and  whites.  It  is  beautiful  to  me  to 
see  them  mingle.  The  hostess  and  others  had  dyed  eggs 
for  children  who  had  none,  and  seemed  to  make  more  fuss 
over  them  than  over  the  well-to-do  ones.  It  is  the  beau- 
tiful spirit  of  no  class  distinction  that  makes  one  admire 
the  people  here — there  seem  to  be  a  place  and  room  for 
every  one.  As  there  are  so  many  intermarriages,  it  is 
the  usual  thing  to  ask  a  child  what  he  is.  To  this  question 
the  other  day  one  of  them  answered  me:  "I  am  half 
Hawaiian,  half  Chinese,  and  half  White" — you  see  there 

[56] 


6  6  c  «  C 


ANOTHER     EPISTLE     FROM     HONOLULU 

is  more  to  the  people  here  than  you  ever  knew  of  when  you 
went  to  school!  I  still  continue  to  respect,  admire,  and 
like  the  Chinese  people;  they  have  traits  of  character 
that  we  would  do  well  to  copy. 

You  may  remember  that  I  asked  you  why  rjonolulu  is 
the  richest  country  in  the  world,  and  if  you  recall  the 
answer,  just  add  to  it  that  it  has  an  Emerald  sea. 

I  have  been  asked  if  my  good  husband  has  become  an 
expert  on  the  surf  board  as  Jack  in  "One  Month  in  Hono- 
lulu,'" which  I  sent  many  of  my  readers.  I  wish  to  say 
that  we  have  neither  of  us  yet  ventured  to  display  our 
avoirdupois  on  surf  boards,  but  are  quite  content  to  en- 
joy the  surfing  in  canoes.  If  I  have  mentioned  the  candy 
making  that  I  have  been  doing  during  Lent  for  the  Lenten 
offering  of  the  Junior  Auxiliary  of  the  Priory,  I  should 
tell  you  that  we  cleared  somewhere  between  twenty-five 
and  thirty  dollars,  and  had  the  work  been  better  known? 
much  more  could  have  been  realized. 

Now  I  must  cease  my  chatter  to  avoid  brain  storm  for 
us  both.  You  are  all  very  good  to  read  my  epistles  and 
to  say  such  nice  things  about  them.  Greetings  and  love 
to  all! 


ANOTHER  EPISTLE  FROM  THE  "PARADISE  OF 
THE  PACIFIC' 
I  have  always  maintained  that  I  needed  inspiration  to 
write  these  home  letters,  but  now  that  I  know  they  have 
been  called  "classics,"  "works  of  art,"  "marvels  of  liter- 
ature" (all  by  those  who  love  me  and  know  I  need  en- 
couragement), and  are  passed  to  unknown  friends  to  read, 
I  quake  with  fear,  for  I  have  always  been  conscious  of  the 
errors  and  of  the  hasty  writing,  and  now,  with  my  mind 
and  heart  so  full  of  this  our  own  home,  I  am  sure  I  can't 

[S7l 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

write  sense — but  I  can,  and  do,  ask  you  one  and  all  to 
come  over  and  see  for  yourselves  the  beauty  of  these 
Islands  and  of  this  beach  home. 

While  I  write  now  I  sit  on  one  of  our  lanais,  hearing  the 
sea  beat  against  our  sea  wall,  and  looking  up  I  can  see  at 
a  glance  the  beautiful  sapphire  and  emerald  sea  (there 
being  many  shades  and  colors  of  water  due  to  the  several 
channels,  and  the  effect  of  the  sun  upon  them),  and  our 
wonderful  Hau  tree  that  is  at  least  three  hundred  years 
old.  Part  of  it  covers  our  boat  house  and  one  of  the  large 
bath-houses,  and  on  the  sea  front  a  lanai  of  50  x  20  feet, 
where  we  have  a  table,  chairs,  a  hammock,  and  plenty  of 
room  for  dances,  if  only  we  were  trained  in  that  art.  Nor 
is  this  all,  for  it  forms  a  bower  or  hedge  for  about  fifty 
feet  on  one  side  of  our  lot;  and  we  also  have  a  lesser  one 
on  the  other  side  of  us,  so  we  do  well  when  trying  to  de- 
cide on  a  name  for  our  "estate"  to  consider  the  Hawaiian 
name,  "Hau  oli,"  meaning  joyful  or  gladness,  and  so 
strikingly  including  and  calling  attention  to  the  Hau 
tree.  We  have  not  finally  decided  upon  this  name,  but 
fear  we  cannot  ask  for  suggestions,  for  we  prefer  using 
a  Hawaiian  name,  and  think  few  away  from  here  would 
be  an  authority  on  this  strange  but  rather  pretty  lan- 
guage. 

But  I  think  I  started  to  tell  you  what  I  can  see  from 
where  I  am  sitting  to  write,  and,  as  usual,  I  branched  off. 
I  will  just  add  that  it  being  so  near  the  sea  you  might  con- 
clude that  our  lawn  was  of  sand;  instead  we  have  beau- 
tiful grass,  and  many  ferns  in  tubs,  and  cocoanut  palms 
growing — but  it  is  too  nice  to  describe,  so  I  must  not  at- 
tempt it  any  further.  And  now  you  will  wish  to  know 
about  the  house.  Well,  that  too  is  too  much  for  me  to 
give  a  graphic  description  of:  the  rooms  (nine  and  three 
baths)  are  all  large,  with  so  many  windows  that  there  is 

[58] 


ANOTHER    EPISTLE     FROM     HONOLULU 

little  wall  space  for  pictures  or  furniture.  All  woodwork 
is  white,  and  all  papers  light  in  tone — a  more  cheerful 
house,  or  one  with  more  windows  and  chances  for  air  and 
"view,"  could  not  be  built.  The  main  front  entrance  is 
back  from  the  road  about  ioo  feet,  that  space  being  cov- 
ered with  lawn,  trees,  flowers,  and  palms.  On  one  side  is 
the  entrance  to  the  kitchen,  and  on  the  other  side,  and  on 
the  sea  front,  are  entrances  to  the  lanais  that  open  into 
the  den,  the  dining-room,  and  the  hallway  leading  up- 
stairs. There  are  sleeping  porches  upstairs  sufficient  to 
start  a  hospital — I  will  reserve  them  for  my  Philadelphia 
friends  and  family,  and  for  those  who  cannot  sleep  out- 
side I  can  make  several  very  comfortable  bedrooms  in- 
doors. The  first  floor  is  quite  comfortably  furnished,  and 
two  of  the  bedrooms  are,  but  we  will  have  to  make  quite 
a  number  of  changes  when  we  return  here  in  January. 
The  Davies,  the  previous  owners,  have  a  very  fine  town 
home,  so  never  felt  any  necessity  for  furnishing  this  com- 
pletely, and  some  of  the  things  they  did  have  were  not 
included  in  our  purchase.  But  we  are  very  comfortable 
even  now,  and  the  house  is  in  order,  and  clean  and  fresh 
looking,  which  is  not  surprising  when  you  remember  that 
it  was  built  last  fall  and  tenanted  only  since  last  De- 
cember. This  lot  has  been  owned  by  the  Davies  family 
for  many,  many  years,  and  originally  had  a  native  grass 
house  upon  it.  The  depth  of  the  whole  property  is  more 
than  500  feet;  it  is  in  two  lots,  one  being  on  the  other  side 
of  the  road;  there  we  have  a  small  cottage  for  a  home  for 
the  chauffeur,  another  cottage  with  three  rooms  for  ser- 
vants, a  garage  with  room  for  two  cars,  and  a  laundry,  and 
you  can't  imagine  how  happy  I  am  not  to  have  all  these 
buildings  on  our  front  lot,  as  most  people  are  compelled 
to  do.  We  are  receiving  congratulations  all  the  time — 
first,  for  having  decided  that  we  wished  to  have  a  home 
[59] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

here,  and  secondly,  for  having  been  able  to  buy  this  most 
desirable  location  and  new  house,  and  from  people  of  such 
wealth  that  they  had  no  good  reason  for  selling  and  had 
not  placed  the  property  on  the  market  at  all.  It  was  all 
due  to  our  good  friend  Mr.  Butolph,  an  Ohio  man  whose 
mother  is  visiting  him  here.  Because  of  my  admiration 
for,  and  attentions  to,  his  mother  we  have  come  to  know 
him  quite  well;  he  is  the  kind  of  man  who  can  answer 
every  question  you  ask  him,  and  yet  never  says  "I,"  and 
is  always  good  company.  Unfortunately  for  him  and 
for  some  nice  girl  he  hasn't  a  "better  half,"  and  though 
his  dear  mother  has  been  making  him  annual  visits  of 
several  months  at  a  time,  I  fear  that  when  she  leaves  here 
on  May  6th  she  will  probably  never  return,  for  she  is 
seventy-five  years  of  age.  Up  to  two  weeks  ago  she 
seemed  not  more  than  fifty,  but  since  then  has  broken 
very  much  and  now  is  very  frail.  She  is  loved  by  all  who 
know  her.  They  lived  next  door  to  our  other  home,  so 
I  saw  her  quite  frequently. 

Now  I  will  begin  my  chat  again,  though  I  know  I  shall 
soon  be  interrupted,  for  I  am  expecting  several  in  to  after- 
noon tea  any  minute — but  that  is  the  way  I  have  to  do  all 
my  writing,  just  a  little  at  a  time — and  there  goes  the 
bell  now!  *  *  *  Seventy-four  hours  later  is  my  first 
chance  to  continue  this.  Such  a  busy  day  I  have  had! 
interviewing  telephone  men,  plumbers,  electricians,  and 
servants.  Have,  besides,  had  nearly  two  hours  at  golf, 
did  some  shopping,  had  lunch,  read  a  bunch  of  mail,  and 
dressed,  then  went  out  to  be  one  of  four  receiving  at  a  re- 
ception given  in  honor  of  "the  four."  I  did  not  get  in 
until  nearly  six,  and  have  some  one  coming  at  seven- 
thirty,  so  if  this  goes  ofF  in  tomorrow's  ship,  as  it  should, 
I  shall  feel  I  have  accomplished  something  in  telling  you  a 
little. 

[60] 


ANOTHER     EPISTLE     FROM     HONOLULU 

Each  hour,  day,  and  month  make  us  more  happy  to 
know  that  we  have  the  privilege  of  anticipating  being  resi- 
dents of  Honolulu,  and  since  we  are  in  our  home,  we  rather 
think  it  a  shame  to  leave  here  in  June.  Just  now  I  am 
writing  on  the  lanai  under  the  Hau  tree,  the  sea  splashing 
at  my  feet,  and  the  sun  setting  over  my  shoulder,  and 
what  more  could  one  ask  for? 

As  most  of  you  know  Watanobe,  I  must  tell  you  that  he 
proved  to  have  a  bad  temper,  which  though  never  mani- 
fested to  me,  was  displayed  to  Kuma  to  the  extent  of  abuse, 
so  he  is  "pau"  (finished),  and  I  have  Mrs.  Davies'  cook. 
He  is  an  excellent  cook  and  a  very  agreeable  man.  As 
neither  he  nor  Kuma  was  willing  to  run  this  house  with- 
out another  helper,  I  have  his  wife,  so  now  I  must  re- 
member to  say  Nishi  and  his  wife  Shiyo,  and  Kuma,  and 
the  gardener,  Shumida.  When  I  learn  all  these  names  I 
shall  feel  that  I  am  becoming  a  linguist;  and  since  I  man- 
age a  husband  and  four  servants, — in  fact,  five,  including 
the  chauffeur, — I  think  I  am  quite  an  important  creature, 
needing  much  grace.  So  far,  however,  none  of  them  has 
given  me  trouble,  but  rather,  on  the  contrary,  they  save 
me  much:  when  I  have  to  hunt  in  my  own  kitchen  for 
things  I  realize  how  much  I  depend  upon  the  helpers 
there.  But  though  I  haven't  much  to  do  out  there,  I  can 
do  it  when  necessary;  for  instance,  last  week  I  cooked  two 
meals  in  one  day,  between  the  time  that  one  cook  went 
and  the  other  came,  and  my  husband  is  still  with  me,  and 
didn't  call  in  a  physician,  but  kindly  announced  to  some 
one  that  I  can  always  do  well  all  that  I  attempt — even 
cooking;  now  isn't  he  kind?  And  yesterday  I  did,  as  I 
have  done  each  Sunday  (but  will  not  have  to  do  again  since 
I  have  an  extra  girl),  got  one  meal  for  us,  and,  in  addition 
to  that,  I  served  afternoon  tea  to  several,  for  one  of  the 
beauties  of  this  location  is  that  we  can  make  others  who 
[61] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

haven't  a  beach  home,  and  are  busy  all  the  week,  feel  that 
they  can  enjoy  with  us  the  beauties  and  comfort  of  our 
sea  front  and  lanais. 

Well,  it's  no  use  now  to  try  to  finish  this  up  in  a  sensible 
way:  before  my  seven-thirty  caller  left  three  others  ar- 
rived. I  enjoy  seeing  people  as  much  as  I  do  writing, 
but  am  sorry  that  it  is  impossible  to  do  both  at  the  same 
time.  Now  it  is  lunch  time;  then  dress  to  go  out  to  the 
Ladies'  Guild  meeting  at  the  church,  and  home  in  time 
to  be  ready  for  any  callers  that  may  come,  for  Tuesday  is 
our  "day"  for  this  district;  then  we  are  to  have  two  dinner 
guests — and  the  ship  sails  this  afternoon,  so  off  this  must 
go,  regardless!  With  it  go  our  heartfelt  wishes  that  you 
may  all  be  as  well  and  happy  as  we,  and  that  you  can  live 
out-of-doors  as  we  can  here.  We  are  slowly  improving 
in  golf,  but  in  our  moments  of  discouragement  are  told 
that  it  takes  years  of  practice,  so  we  still  hope  to  play 
well  some  time.  As  for  swimming:  now  we  get  out  of 
bed,  don  bathing  suits,  and  skip  down-stairs  and  into  the 
sea  and  watch  the  sun  rise. 

Another  bunch  of  mail  today  leaves  us  glad  that  all  at 
home  are  well  and  that  people  there  were  glad  to  receive 
the  Easter  cards,  and  that  those  who  received  the  photo- 
graphs, one  and  all,  seem  to  agree  that  we  look  the  part 
of  "very  well."  I  feel  quite  slighted,  for  all  are  so  truth- 
ful that  they  say  John  looks  thinner,  but  never  such  a 
word  do  they  give  to  encourage  and  flatter  rne.  Well, 
never  mind,  health  is  better  than  a  sylph-like  figure! 
Do  save  your  pennies  and  come  to  see  us  and  this  haven 
of  rest  and  joy.     Aloha! 


62 


HONOLULU,  MAY  FOURTEENTH 

HONOLULU,  MAY  FOURTEENTH 

Now  are  you  wondering  why  the  change  from  pencil  to 
pen  ?  My  supply  did  not  last  indefinitely,  and  when  I  sent 
away  for  some  more,  my  good  friend  sent  me  this,  as  no 
duplicate  of  mine  could  be  found.  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
glad  to  see  the  ink — and  so  am  I  if  my  fountain-pen  will 
come  off  the  strike  it  has  been  on  for  a  couple  of  weeks — 
it  is  worse  than  some  of  the  army  mules! 

Where  shall  I  start  this  ?  What  do  you  wish  I  would  tell 
you?  My  mind. and  heart  hold  too  much  I  should  like  to 
share  with  you  ever  to  write  the  half  of  it.  Just  tonight 
I  can  think  of  but  three  important  subjects,  so  I  better 
clear  my  system  of  them  first:  Today  Mrs.  Restarick 
gave  a  large  reception  in  my  honor.  Their  home  was 
beautifully  decorated — first  with  lovely  flowers,  many  of 
them  sent  by  people  who  were  unable  to  be  present;  and 
secondly  by  lovely  gowns  far  beyond  my  describing. 
Many  of  the  ladies  I  had  met  once  or  twice  perhaps  and 
could  not  recall  all  the  names;  others  were  there  whom  I 
knew  so  well  that  they  made  a  joke  of  it:  "To  meet  Mrs. 
John  E.  Baird";  and  many  were  there  whom  I  had  never 
met,  and  concerning  all  three  sets  I  can  only  reiterate  that 
I  never  expect  to  see  in  any  city,  large  or  small,  so  many 
lovable,  charming  people,  and  if  any  of  my  readers  have 
ever  heard  me  say  (as  I  know  I  have  said)  that  I  didn't 
wish  to  know  army  and  navy  people,  let  me  take  it  all 
back,  for  here  I  have  met  such  charming  people  of  both 
these  sets  that  I  am  prepared  to  say  that  I  do  wish  to 
know  them  and  consider  it  a  privilege. 

One  of  the  receiving  party  today  was  Mrs.  Moore,  wife 
of  the  well-known  Admiral,  and  next  week  we  are  to  dine 
at  the  home  of  Captain  Phisterer — isn't  that  an  awful 
name?  But  he  couldn't  help  it,  and  his  wife  couldn't 
[63] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

help  loving  such  a  man  in  spite  of  his  name.  We  have  the 
honor  of  knowing  the  two  new  generals  here,  General 
Carter  and  General  Edwards,  and  they  are  charming 
men. 

As  usual  I  have  branched  off  from  my  story  of  today, 
but  there  isn't  much  more  that  can  be  written  except  that 
I,  or  we,  stood  for  three  hours  hearing,  pronouncing,  and 
trying  to  remember  names,  and  if  I  haven't  a  "brain 
storm"  in  the  near  future  it  will  be  solely  because  I  have 
so  little  respect  for  Mr.  Thaw,  the  seeming  originator  of 
them;  and  should  you  ask  me  about  now  how  I  feel,  I 
should  reply:  "All  feet  tonight,  thank  you,"  but  very 
light  hearted  and  thankful  to  be  considered  a  resident  of 
adorable  Honolulu — and  isn't  it  lovely  when  good,  plain, 
sensible  people  come  to  us  and  thank  us  for  so  quickly 
learning  to  love  their  city,  and  insist  that  they,  and  not  we, 
are  to  be  congratulated?  This  from  some  could  have 
no  weight,  but  from  those  who  have  said  it  we  take  it  as 
a  compliment  and  thank  them. 

Are  you  growing  anxious  to  know  what  is  number  two 
on  my  list  of  "three"?  Tomorrow  morning  we  leave  the 
house  at  seven  thirty  to  go  down  to  meet  the  boat  from 
the  coast,  because  we  learn  that  it  has,  as  two  of  its  pass- 
engers, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pancoast  of  Germantown.  As  I 
know  them  quite  well;  we  feel  that  we  are  going  to  meet 
friends  from  home,  as  well  as  being  able  to  show  to  a  part 
of  Philadelphia  some  of  the  wonders  of  this  Island.  We 
will  first  bring  them  to  the  Cathedral,  where  the  boys' 
and  the  girls'  schools  meet  at  eight  forty-five  for  morning 
prayer  (and  a  sight  worth  seeing  that  is!);  then  the  Bishop 
will  join  us  in  our  car,  and  we  will  proceed  to  show  the 
guests  the  mission  work  being  done  in  this  city  under  our 
Bishop's  direction.  We  repair  here  for  lunch  at  twelve, 
and  at  one  thirty  start  off  again  to  show  them  some  of  the 

[64] 


MAY     FOURTEENTH 


scenery  and  other  wonders  here.  Mrs.  Restarick  will  be 
with  us  for  lunch  and  the  afternoon. 

And  now  to  the  third  point,  my  brethren:  On  Saturday 
we  leave,  at  three  o'clock,  with  the  Bishop  and  one  of  his 
dear  teachers  whom  I  have  invited  to  join  us,  for  the 
Island  of  Maui.  It  is  a  six-hour  boat  trip  on  one  of  the 
fine  Inter  Island  line  of  boats.  We  are  due  to  arrive  at 
Lahaina  at  nine  o'clock.  There  a  motor  is  to  await  us  to 
carry  us  to  Wailuku,  where  is  to  be  found  the  best  hotel 
the  Island  affords — it  is  a  twenty-five-mile  run  and  we 
hope  to  make  it  by  ten  thirty.  Sunday  we  are  to  go  with 
the  Bishop  on  all  his  rounds  of  services  and  confirmations, 
and  accept  the  hospitality  of  different  people  whose  friends 
have  written  them  that  we  were  coming.  On  Monday 
we  motor  all  day  in  the  mountains,  returning  to  our  boat 
before  she  sails  at  midnight,  landing  us  here  again  at 
seven  Tuesday  morning.  Now  that  doesn't  read  "ex- 
citing" at  all,  but  it  is  to  me  the  realization  of  a  dream 
I  have  had  ever  since  coming  here.  At  least  a  week,  or 
perhaps  two,  should  be  given  to  this  trip,  but  I  haven't 
been  willing  to  close  up  shop  for  so  long  a  time  and  depart 
from  our  haven  of  joy  and  rest  without  seeing  Maui,  so 
when  the  Bishop  suggested  this  short  trip  I  hailed  it  with 
delight  and  am  crazy  to  go.  All  plans  are  made,  and  I  am 
leaving  three  lovely  teachers  to  run  the  house,  with  the 
help  of  my  wonderfully  competent  corps  of  servants,  and 
these  teachers  are  ready  to  devour  me  for  thinking  of  giv- 
ing them  such  a  lovely  treat. 

Little  did  I  suppose  when  I  started  this  letter  and  told 
you  what  we  were  going  to  do,  that  I  shouldn't  get  it  off 
until  I  could  tell  you  what  we  did  do.  I  find  that  the 
motto,  "Well  begun  is  half  done,"  does  not  apply  to  these 
letters.  They  are  so  long  in  the  waiting  that  I  may  tell 
the  same  tale  twice  in  one  letter  without  knowing  it — 
[65]  5 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

and  there  is  no  telling  how  far  I  may  get  now,  for  very- 
soon  I  must  dress  to  go  out  to  dinner,  even  if  no  other  in- 
terruption occurs.  But  I  will  make  one  more  attempt,  so 
you  can  never  say  I  did  not  try  to  write.  My  fountain 
pen  isn't  working  well,  and  I  find  this  isn't  copying  well, 
so  I  hardly  know  what  to  do,  though  I  know  it  is  a  poor 
mechanic  that  blames  his  tools,  but  good  or  bad  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  it  when  a  fountain  pen  won't  feed. 

I  have  received  ten  more  callers  this  afternoon,  and  am 
wondering  how  I  shall  succeed  in  returning  all  the  calls 
that  these  charming  people  are  so  generous  in  making. 
It  keeps  me  busy,  but  I  do  enjoy  them  all,  and  I  feel  so 
well  acquainted  here  now,  but  I  am  wondering  how  well 
I  will  have  remembered  all  their  names  when  I  return. 

We  met  our  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pancoast,  last  Fri- 
day, according  to  the  program  I  outlined  to  you,  and  they 
were  quite  overwhelmed  at  seeing  familiar  faces  on  the 
dock.  The  good  husband  confessed  to  having  advised 
the  good  wife  not  to  take  it  too  seriously  for  fear  we  might 
be  down  there  only  to  meet  some  one  else,  but  we  were 
not,  and  the  sight  of  them  seemed  to  take  us  home  for  a 
day.  I  can't  begin  to  tell  all  we  did  on  that  day  from 
eight  until  five,  when  their  boat  sailed,  but  it  was  enough, 
so  that  they  have  the  Honolulu  fever  and  feel  that  they 
would  like  to  come  back  to  live.  They  have  promised  to 
come  back  for  a  week  on  their  return  in  November,  and 
Mrs.  Restarick  will  entertain  them,  as  we  will  not  be  here 
at  that  time. 

Now  I  must  tell  of  our  trip  to  Maui,  the  second  largest 
of  these  islands.  Time  forbids  my  writing  in  detail,  but 
you  will  be  interested  to  know  that  the  natives,  their 
homes,  the  towns,  and  scenery  over  there  are  exactly 
what  I  had  expected  to  see  here,  and  though  I  enjoyed  every 
minute,  I  come  back  thankful  to  be  a  resident  of  Honolulu! 

[66] 


c  c  c  c  c 


HONOLULU,  MAY  FOURTEENTH 

The  scenery  on  Maui  is  wonderful,  in  some  respects  sur- 
passing that  of  Oahu  (this  Island),  for  there  are  wonder- 
ful and  truly  beautiful  cascades  and  rapids,  and  one  valley 
is  unlike  anything  we  have  ever  seen,  and  is  a  never-to-be- 
forgotten  picture.  We  hope  in  the  future  to  go  over  and 
spend  some  time  there. 

Mt.  Haleakala  is  10,000  feet  in  height,  and  is  more 
beautiful  than  we  saw  it,  for  we  had  a  rainy  visit. 

As  an  illustration  of  native  life,  let  me  tell  you  that  next 
door  to  the  place  where  we  had  tea  there  lives,  in  a  three- 
room  house,  a  family  of  twelve  grown  people  and  fourteen 
children.  Only  two  of  the  family  were  earning,  and  yet, 
in  spite  of  everything,  they  were  all  happy.  They  live 
principally  on  raw  fish  and  poi,  the  latter  being  beaten 
from  the  native  vegetable,  taro. 

I  also  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  one  happy-looking, 
cheerful  mother  of  twenty- three  children;  another  of 
seventeen,  and  there  are  many  that  have  nine  and  twelve. 

We  enjoyed  three  confirmation  services  (the  Bishop  had 
a  fourth),  and  found  very  interesting  the  clergy,  the 
churches,  the  choirs,  and  the  congregations.  All  of  the 
attendants  were  cleanly  and  neatly  dressed,  most  of  the 
women  wearing  holokus,  our  "Mother  Hubbard." 

The  more  I  see  of  the  Hawaiians,  the  more  I  respect 
and  even  admire  them.  So  much  for  a  brief  account  of  a 
brief  visit  to  Maui. 

We  came  home  at  seven  Tuesday  morning.  In  the 
afternoon  I  received  ten  callers  and  did  some  writing. 
At  seven  we  left  to  have  dinner  out  at  Fort  Ruger  with 
Captain  Phisterer.  Needless  to  say,  we  had  a  very  en- 
joyable evening.  We  met  there  General  Davis  (retired), 
who  is  loved  in  these  islands  and  well  known  elsewhere. 

Now  from  today  (Thursday)  until  Sunday  I  am  to  be  a 
trained  nurse,  for  we  have  brought  here  from  the  hospital 
[67] 


THROUGH    THE    PARADISE    OF    THE    PACIFIC 

Miss  Davis,  the  Bishop's  secretary,  who  underwent  an 
operation  nine  days  ago.  She  is  not  helpless,  but  weak 
and  needing  quiet,  good  rest,  food,  and  air,  and  freedom 
from  hospital  environment.  We  can  give  her  all  she  can 
possibly  use  of  all  these  right  here  in  our  cozy  home.  She 
has  the  first  floor  bedroom  and  bath,  and  will  enjoy  it  be- 
cause she  boards  in  town,  away  from  the  sight  and  sound 
of  the  sea,  and  does  enjoy  the  life  at  the  beach. 

I  remind  you  that  we  leave  here  on  June  third,  and  are 
very  loath  to  do  so,  but  we  anticipate  a  lovely  summer  of 
three  months  in  an  auto  seeing  California,  and  then  the 
trip  eastward  that  will  lead  us  to  family  and  friends,  and 
we  are  so  continually  reminded  in  the  mail  of  the  welcome 
that  awaits  us  there  that  we  shall  be  very  glad  to  welcome 
ourselves  back  in  Philadelphia.  But — I  very  much  fear  that 
we  will  talk  Honolulu  so  much  that  the  same  ones  who  wel- 
come us  home  will  gladly  help  us  to  go  away  again,  for  I  feel 
sure  we  will  never  again  be  content  with  an  indoor  life. 

Our  last  two  weeks  here  will  be  crowded,  for  apart  from 
all  our  outside  engagements,  we  are  giving  two  luncheons 
and  three  dinners  in  the  next  week,  though  with  such  fine 
help  that  won't  be  hard. 

My  lovely,  good-natured  cook  only  smiled  on  me  when 
I  told  him  this  morning  I  wanted  300  jumbles  made  be- 
fore twelve  o'clock,  and  he  made  them,  and  twenty-five 
more,  and  on  time,  and  never  a  word  except  to  say:  "I 
use  planty  eggs,  sugar,  and  flour  for  so  many."  Did  we 
eat  them  all  in  one  meal?  Dear  me,  no;  I  took  them  to 
the  grounds  where  the  Priory  girls  were  having  their 
annual  picnic,  and  their  surprise  and  enjoyment,  in  addi- 
tion to  their  love  for  me,  made  us  very  happy;  they  cer- 
tainly are  a  dear  lot  of  girls. 

Everything  is  wonderfully  beautiful  now  (though  that  is 
nothing  new),  for  there  are  many  flowering  trees  here, 

[68  1 


HONOLULU,  MAY  FOURTEENTH 

several  of  which  are  in  full  bloom  now:  there  is  the  plu- 
meria,  royal  poinciana,  golden  shower,  pink  shower, 
jacaranda,  and  others — such  sights  one  must  come  here 
to  see. 

The  convention  of  this  diocese  opens  here  on  May  30th. 
We  are  much  interested  in  it,  and  sorry  we  shall  not  be 
here  through  the  whole  session. 

Our  love,  and  Mizpah  to  all! 


69 


A  LETTER  WRITTEN  AT  SEA 

THE  first  thing  I  must  tell  you  is  that  we  are  still, 
or  again,  a  bride  and  groom,  the  only  difference 
being  that  originally  they  couldn't  catch  us,  and 
today  they  did! 

Well,  we  have  started,  but  I  can't  begin  to  paint  for 
you  with  anything  like  distinct  outlines  the  picture  of  our 
sailing,  for  the  departure  of  any  large  passenger  boat 
from  Honolulu  has  elements  of  picturesqueness  never  to 
be  seen  perhaps  in  any  other  port,  and  certainly  it  is  a 
sight  never  to  be  forgotten,  and  if  the  "Bairds"  are  not 
sailing,  as  they  were  on  this  boat,  there  are  sure  to  be  other 
"celebrities"! 

The  custom  of  putting  leis  around  the  necks  of  depart- 
ing friends  is  a  truly  beautiful  one.  These  wreaths  are 
made,  not  of  paper  alone,  but  of  colored  paper  in  combina- 
tion with  real  leaves  and  fresh  flowers,  and  the  color  scheme 
is  a  marvel,  especially  when  the  different  colors  and  shades 
are  so  many  that  it  is  impossible  to  count  them. 

The  confetti  ribbons  of  all  colors  are  also  beautifully 
effective  as  they  are  thrown  by  the  passengers  to  the  friends 
left  behind:  those  on  the  deck  catch  one  end,  the  other 
being  held  by  the  passenger  on  board,  and  the  ship  stands 
bound  by  these  multicolored  cords  until  she  begins  to 
move,  when  these  thousands  of  ribbon  papers  snap  apart 
with  a  curious  sound. 

Another  pretty  custom  is  that  of  the  passengers  throwing 
back  to  their  friends  the  flower  leis  that  had  been  given 
them.  It  is  quite  a  feat  to  throw  them  so  that  they  hit 
the  one  aimed  at,  instead  of  falling  on  some  one  else  or 
into  the  water. 

[7i] 


A         LETTER        WRITTEN        AT        SEA 

The  day  on  which  we  started  was  perfect,  though  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  remark  this — those  who  are  so  for- 
tunate as  to  know  beautiful  Honolulu  and  its  wonderful 
climate  know  that  all  days  are  "  perfect "  there. 

As  to  the  numbers  that  throng  to  see  a  ship  sail — it 
would  be  nearly  impossible  to  count  them;  but  I  feel  sure 
you  would  be  interested  to  know  that  between  forty  and 
fifty  came  to  say  "Aloha,"  and  to  bring  flowers  and 
parting  gifts  to  this  "bride  and  groom,"  and  though  this 
bride  can't  see  others  ofF  without  using  a  handkerchief, 
there  seemed  no  opportunity  for  it  when  departing  on 
this  trip,  for,  what  with  hand-shaking,  kissing,  receiving 
of  gifts,  and  last,  but  not  least,  posing  for  pictures,  there 
was  no  time.  Some  of  the  pictures  were  taken  on  my 
camera  and  I  am  so  anxious  to  see  what  I  looked  like  that 
I  fear  this  dear  short  one  week,  or  rather,  six  days,  will 
seem  very  long  to  wait. 

I  cannot  tell  you  much  about  the  throng  that  saw  us  off, 
for  you  know  so  few  of  them,  but  I  can  say  that,  as  you 
may  recall,  three  girls  of  the  Priory  met  us  with  the  Bishop 
four  months  ago,  and  three  were  excused  from  school  to 
see  us  off.  Though  I  may  not  have  written  much  about 
them,  I  am  free  to  confess  that  these  ioo  girls  and  their 
future  have  a  great  hold  upon  my  heart.  I  am  glad  that 
I  have  been  enabled  to  be  much  to  them  in  four  short 
months,  and  I  hope  to  be  more  to  them  for  the  rest  of 
my  life.  It  is  in  dear  Honolulu  that  I  have  learned  to 
love  and  admire  Hawaiian,  Chinese,  and  Japanese,  and 
all  the  girls  in  the  Priory  are  mixtures  of  these  and  other 
races  and  peoples,  many  of  them  being  half  white;  and 
if  I  told  you  about  Irene  Davison,  who  started  on  March 
nth  to  leave  the  Islands  for  the  first  time  to  go  alone  to 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  San  Francisco,  to  become  a  trained 
nurse,  you  will  be  glad  to  know  that  another  of  the  girls, 

[72] 


A         LETTER        WRITTEN        AT        SEA 

Rose  Cummings,  leaves  Honolulu  as  soon  as  she  graduates 
this  month,  to  go  and  be  with  Irene  and  learn  the  same 
profession.  My  heart  is  very  full  of  interests  among 
individuals  in  our  new  home,  and  since  to  help  the  one, 
rather  than  the  masses,  has  always  been  my  ambition, 
I  feel  that  I  have  been  sent  here  to  do  a  real  work,  and  I 
hope  to  do  much  and  prove  my  appreciation  of  a  new  lease 
on  life  and  health. 

I  think  I  started  to  tell  you  about  some  who  saw  us  off, 
but  quickly  became  engrossed  in  my  favorite  subject, 
the  "Priory  girls,"  and  branched  off — I  simply  wish  to 
add  that  the  dear  Bishop  and  his  wife  were  surely  there. 

Another  thing  that  pleased  us  greatly  was  the  sight  of 
the  visiting  clergy  and  their  wives,  who  were  there  from 
the  other  islands  attending  Convocation,  for  though  we 
had  seen  their  work  and  been  much  interested  in  it,  and 
had  entertained  them  at  luncheon  in  our  home,  we  could 
not  fail  to  be  surprised  to  see  them  at  the  ship. 

Our  trip  promises  to  be  a  fine  one,  and  it  seemed  very 
nice  to  be  known  by  name  to  the  officers  and  stewards. 
Our  beautiful  room  is  all  we  could  wish,  and  the  food  seems 
better  even  than  on  the  former  trip.  We  know  quite 
a  number  on  board,  but  I  am  so  delinquent  with  my 
writing,  and  so  tired  after  my  strenuous  life  of  the  last 
few  weeks,  that  I  feel  few  will  see  me  much,  for  I  do  need 
a  rest  and  can  get  it  here,  if  anywhere,  and  as  we  leave 
San  Francisco  two  days  after  our  arrival  there,  to  start 
on  our  motoring  trip,  we  wish  to  be  in  good  condition. 
Our  first  trip  is  to  be  into  Yosemite  Valley,  and  we  are 
taking  with  us  a  dear  friend  who  works  day  and  night 
and  has  not  had  a  vacation  in  six  years,  and  has  always 
longed  to  see  the  Valley,  so  that  gives  us  great  joy — the 
being  able  to  share  our  pleasures.  We  never  ride  out 
alone,  but  can  always  find  some  one  who  is  glad  to  go, 
[73] 


A         LETTER        WRITTEN        AT        SEA 

and  in  that  way  our  car  is  a  blessing  as  well  as  a  pleasure. 
It  has  interested  me  to  discover  that  many  not  so  for- 
tunate as  to  be  able  to  travel  labor  under  the  impression 
that  those  who  do  travel  do  so  for  such  selfish  reasons  as  to 
avoid  all  philanthropic  work  and  seek  personal  pleasure 
only.  The  truth  is  that  any  one  inclined  to  do  for  others 
has  a  much  broader  field  when  traveling,  for  they  can 
scatter  seeds  that  may  spring  up  and  grow  in  many  parts 
of  the  world,  while  the  work  at  home  is  apt  to  run  in  too 
much  the  same  channel,  and  to  make  and  allow  recipients 
to  depend  on  others,  to  their  own  weakening. 

**************** 

Today,  June  4th,  high  sea  awnings  are  up.  Some  are 
sick  on  board,  but  most  seem  very  well  and  enjoying  the 
sea.  This  is  a  very  steady  boat,  and  the  officers  are  all 
very  pleasant.  I  am  still  lazy,  but  am  getting  some  writ- 
ing and  reading  done. 

I  wrote  you  last  that  I  had  taken  Miss  Davis  from  the 
hospital  to  stay  with  us  three  days,  so  you  will  be  inter- 
ested to  know  that  she  liked  Dr.  Baird  and  her  home  and 
care  so  well  that  Doctor  had  her  stay  eleven  days,  or  up 
to  June  1st,  and  she  gained  much  and  was  very  happy.  We 
arranged  for  her  to  spend  the  next  two  weeks  in  two  nice 
homes,  and  then  she  hopes  to  be  strong  enough  to  go  back 
to  the  Bishop's  office.     She  was  a  very  nice  patient. 

I  managed  to  return  all  my  calls  except  those  made  the 
last  ten  days,  and  it  was  understood  that  I  could  not  do 
that  while  I  was  being  a  doctor,  a  nurse,  and  a  home- 
keeper,  as  well  as  a  packer;  but  with  luncheons  and  dinners, 
several  of  each,  I  was  able  to  show  my  appreciation  of  all 
hospitality  we  had  enjoyed,  so  I  believe  I  leave  in  good  re- 
pute, and  I  know  that  many  strong  friendships  await  our 
return. 


[74] 


A        LETTER        WRITTEN        AT        SEA 

I  have,  I  believe,  won  the  hearts  of  my  fine  cook  and  his 
wife,  so  that  they  have  promised  sure  to  return  to  us  in 
January.  With  them  at  the  engine  and  me  at  the  helm 
it  is  not  hard  to  keep  house,  but  a  joy;  in  fact,  we  have  had 
so  much  real  pleasure  out  of  our  home  that  I  fear  hotel  life 
again  will  be  nearly  unbearable. 


175  1 


DURING  OUR  STAY  IN  CALIFORNIA 
SAN  FRANCISCO 

WE  HAVE  arrived  and  are  well.  I  just  wish  to 
add  a  few  lines  and  get  this  off.  Some  forty 
pieces  of  mail  awaited  us  here;  I  had  written 
thirty-one  letters  besides  this  one  in  my  six  days  on  the 
ship,  and  now  I  am  in  debt  again!  But  it  is  the  kind  of 
debt  that  doesn't  get  one  into  jail,  and  is,  I  find,  often 
excused  by  lenient  family  and  friends. 

One  friend  met  us  on  our  arrival.  As  the  boat  was 
coming  in  I  was  where  I  could  not  be  seen  from  the  wharf, 
but  this  perfectly  good  American  said  she  knew  there  was 
only  one  American  flag  in  the  hands  of  any  passenger,  and 
she  knew  that  one  would  be  "Elizabeth" — and  it  was. 

Our  room  here  is  a  bower  of  flowers:  American  Beauty 
roses,  azaleas,  sweet  peas — my!  but  I'm  a  fortunate  girl. 
However,  all  the  attention  I  receive  only  helps  make  me 
more  careful  to  be  thoughtful  of  others,  so  don't  think  I 
am  being  spoiled.  Just  for  fun  I  am  going  to  quote  from 
one  letter  of  greeting  that  came  from  Honolulu  on  our 
arrival  here:  "I  hope  there  are  those  in  San  Francisco 
to  welcome  your  coming  somewhere  nearly  as  much  as 
your  going  will  be  mourned  here" — now  isn't  that  "going 
some"  for  only  four  months'  acquaintance  and  friendship? 

It  is  cold  here,  while  you  are  baking;  and  the  sight  of 
furs  and  ulsters  makes  us  long  for  dear  Honolulu,  where 
one  never  shivers  and  never  bakes. 

The  Yosemite  Valley  roads  are  not  yet  open  to  private 
cars,  so  we  do  not  leave  here  until  Saturday,  the  thirteenth. 
We  are  anticipating  a  wonderful  trip,  and  will  be  glad  to 
leave  this  cold. 
[77] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

My  "few  lines"  seem  to  be  increasing  to  a  second  letter; 
but  you  know  how  I  enjoy  telling  you  everything,  both 
foolish  and  sensible,  and  that  reminds  me  that,  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  have  been  writing  thusly:  "You  look 
immense !"  "you  look  so  thin!"  "you  certainly  aren't 
any  thinner" — I  wish  to  put  you  all  right  by  saying  that 
I  have  not  gained  a  pound,  but  am,  I  believe,  just  ten 
pounds  lighter  than  when  I  left  home,  so  see?  But  just 
remember  that  in  photos  much  depends  upon  the  focus 
and  upon  the  white  clothes  worn. 

Our  anniversary  day  will  be  passed  without  a  "real 
party,"  for  we  will  be  at  Stockton,  and  perhaps  on  the 
road  a  part  of  the  day.  But  a  friend  is  making  this  trip 
with  us,  and  we  will  talk  of  the  subject  and  eat  to  its 
honor.  As  to  my  usual  gift  from  my  Lover,  this  year  it  is 
our  new  home,  and  I  feel  that  is  a  rather  special  gift 
for  a  "three-year-old."  We  will  enjoy  it  together,  and 
"anniversary"  means  more  in  that  word  "together" 
than  it  could  be  made  to  mean  by  any  individual  gifts 
and  thoughts. 

Today  we  have  had  Irene  Davison,  the  Honolulu  girl 
who  came  here  to  study  nursing,  out  riding,  and  tomorrow 
she  is  coming  here  to  see  us  and  our  pictures. 

It  won't  be  long  now  until  we  are  in  your  midst,  for  the 
summer  will  fly  so  fast,  and  so  will  the  fall. 

While  I  am  writing  now  John  is  out  at  a  Brotherhood 
meeting  and  luncheon. 

Tata,  and  Mizpah! 


ANNIVERSARY  DAY  AND  SUNDAY 
We  left  San  Francisco  at  nine  twenty  yesterday,  and 
it  was  warmer  when  we  left  than  we  had  ever  known  that 
city  to  be — but  that  doesn't  mean  torrid  at  all! 

[78] 


ANNIVERSARY      DAY     AND      SUNDAY 

The  regular  ferries  do  not  carry  autos  or  teams  any 
more  except  after  nine  in  the  evening,  so  we  went  across 
the  Bay  on  a  freight  boat,  and  were  the  better  part  of  an 
hour  getting  across;  that  is,  from  the  time  we  got  on  the 
boat  until  we  get  off — the  actual  crossing  took  just  some- 
what more  than  a  half-hour.  To  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  crossing  the  Delaware  in  three  minutes,  the 
crossing  of  the  Bay  here  always  seems  like  a  boat  trip,  for 
the  fastest  time  that  a  ferry  makes  is  eighteen  minutes, 
but  at  night  it  is  worth  while,  for  San  Francisco,  with  its 
numerous  hills  and  myriads  of  lights,  makes  a  beautiful 
picture. 

We  stopped  to  see  the  California  Nursery  yesterday. 
We  had  a  letter  to  the  wife  of  the  Superintendent.  They 
took  us  among  the  magnolias  that  are — and  have  been  for 
a  year — boxed  ready  to  send  over  to  the  fair  grounds. 
They  had  already  shipped  the  palms,  each  weighing  50,000 
pounds  (no,  I  am  not  mistaken!).  They  were  planted  in 
boxes  and  stood  upright  on  freight  cars.  We  were  given 
photographs  of  them,  and  will  show  you  how  they  looked. 
Of  course,  we  saw  many  plants,  but  as  this  is  quite  an  off 
season,  we  could  not  see  anything  at  its  best.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eberle  were  very  kind,  and  we  enjoyed  it  all,  and 
have  an  invitation  to  spend  a  whole  day  there  some  time. 
This  nursery  is  at  Niles,  and  there  we  found  a  very  good 
lunch  in  a  very  nice  small  hotel  before  starting  for  Stock- 
ton. The  day  was  hot,  and  we  had  one  puncture.  We 
are  not  over-enthusiastic  about  the  car  or  the  man,  though 
he  understands  his  car,  so  we  feel  safe.  We  expect  to  do 
a  lot  of  map  reading  and  try  not  to  miss  anything. 

We  have  come  through  a  part  of  the  state  where  Olga 
had  spent  girlhood  summers;  though  she  had  not  seen  it 
for  twenty-three  years,  she  remembered  many  points  of 
interest  and  told  some  reminiscences,  one  of  which  was 
[79] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

about  their  enjoyment  of  swimming  until  a  water-snake 
appeared — then  no  more  of  that  sport.  Another  was 
when  she  and  a  group  of  girls  helped  themselves  to  cherries 
off  of  a  tree,  she  eating  as  she  picked,  and  the  others  all 
saving  theirs  in  their  hats,  until  a  wagon  stopped  outside 
the  fence  of  this  detached  farm,  and  the  farmer  ordered 
every  hat  emptied  into  his  cart,  and  threatened  to  take 
them  before  a  constable,  but  only  looked  lovingly  on  this 
dear  innocent  child  who  apparently  hadn't  stolen  any 
cherries,  while  she  was  glorying  in  the  fact  that  she  had 
hers  where  she  couldn't  give  them  up! 

Our  rooms  in  this  hotel — The  Stockton — are  very  nice. 
The  food  is  quite  good,  and  here  we  stay  until  tomorrow 
morning.  We  went  to  "our"  church  at  eleven  and  en- 
joyed a  good  sermon.  The  distance  to  the  church  was 
three  blocks,  so  we  decided  to  walk  it.  It  proved  so  hot 
that  we  stood  in  danger  of  melting.  The  heat  seemed  to 
rise  from  the  pavement  and  hit  us  in  the  face.  Once 
back  again,  we  remained  in  until  three  and  then  went  to 
ride  to  get  cooled  off.  We  started  to  Lodi,  fifteen  miles 
away,  and  had  two  punctures  in  an  amazingly  short  space 
of  time,  wasted  an  hour,  and  returned  to  the  hotel  quite 
discouraged,  for  we  knew  the  worst  was  yet  to  come.  We 
had  a  "heart  to  heart  talk"  with  our  man,  and  gave  him 
cash  for  new  and  thorough  equipment,  and  were  promised 
"no  more  trouble." 

MONDAY 
Left  Stockton  at  seven  fifty-five,  planning  to  reach  our 
destination,  the  Park,  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  alas!  we 
had  not  figured  on  mountain  driving,  fording  streams 
(eleven,  large  and  small),  meeting  teams  and  cars  on  roads 
built  for  one  car  only,  hot  engine,  etc.,  etc. — so  at  two 
o'clock  we  stopped  at  Coulterville  hotel  for  lunch,  and 

[80] 


THE       MAIL       BAG    MONDAY 

there  we  heard  the  joyful  ( ?)  news  that  the  Park  road  would 
not  open  to  cars  until  Wednesday,  but  that  if  we  wished 
to  run  farther  and  so  be  nearer  our  goal  we  could  do  so 
by  staying  all  night  at  McCauley's — "a  large  house,  good 
enough  for  anybody."  That  seemed  quite  cheerful,  for 
though  where  we  were  was  "plenty  large,"  it  was  not 
"good  enough  for  anybody, "  and  didn't  appeal  to  these 
"bodies"  at  all,  so  we  decided  at  once  in  favor  of  "Mc- 
Cauley's." When  we  reached  there  at  five  o'clock  our 
hearts  went  down  to  the  depths,  for  what  did  we  see  but  a 
rude  hut,  with  two  untidy-looking  women  lounging  on 
the  porch  and  dogs  barking  in  the  yard.  But  as  this  is  a 
part  of  one's  experiences  in  motoring,  we  begged  for  ac- 
commodations for  the  night — there  was  nowhere  else  to 
go.  The  dear  lady  didn't  enthuse  a  bit,  but  said  no,  she 
didn't  take  boarders  except  to  accommodate  folks  some- 
times, and  as  she  had  just  rented  her  best  room,  she  could 
only  fix  us  up  something  if  we  would  be  content  with 
what  she  could  arrange.  Of  course  we  said:  "Oh,  yes, 
anything  will  do."  One  couch  in  the  parlor  became  a 
bed,  and  we  got  one  bedroom — the  man  slept  in  the  car — 
and  let  me  tell  you  that  dirt  was  more  plentiful  in  that 
house  than  anything  else.  I  truly  believe  I  never  saw 
so  much  filth  in  so  small  space  in  my  life.  But  the  beds 
were  made  up  for  us  specially  and  seemed  quite  clean,  so 
we  slept.  The  food  was  quite  fair,  and  she  washed  the 
table-cloth  and  napkins  after  we  got  there.  At  seven 
fifteen  she  called  us  in  to  dinner,  on  a  wet  but  ironed 
table-cloth.  The  napkins  made  one  think  of  wash-rags 
as  they  were  put  to  the  lips,  but  they  were  clean,  and  that 
was  much  to  be  thankful  for.  There  were  flies  and 
mosquitos  enough  to  populate  a  town,  which  we  were 
told  would  all  go  to  bed  at  nine,  and  to  our  great  surprise 
they  did! 
[81]  6 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

So  much  for  the  lady  who  had  thought  that  all  of  Cali- 
fornia was  like  the  southern  part — she  has  surely  "had  her 
eyes  opened."  When  touring,  it  is  quite  a  dangerous 
condition  to  have  one's  mind  trained  to  require  cleanliness 
and  good  food. 

Though  we  had  been,  and  were  being,  told  that  the 
Park  roads  would  not  be  opened  to  cars  until  Wednesday, 
I  insisted  upon  going  from  the  dear  McCauley  palace 
straight  to  the  gates,  and  felt  sure  we  could  persuade  the 
Major  to  open  them  to  us  after  telling  him  where  we  had 
spent  one  night,  and  would  have  to  spend  another  if  he 
didn't  let  us  through,  so  at  nine  thirty  we  were  off,  and 
after  riding  until  noon  over  thirty  per  cent,  grades  on  a 
single  road  with  an  occasional  team  to  pass,  we  reached  the 
gate,  and  there  we  had  our  aspiration  to  be  the  first  car 
through  crushed  when  we  were  told  that  nineteen  had  been 
admitted  that  morning  because  some  of  them  had  been 
there  days  without  food  or  beds.  At  twelve  forty,  after 
testing  the  car-brakes,  etc.,  we  drove  into  the  famous 
Yosemite  Valley. 

Upon  entering  we  were  handed  so  many  pamphlets  of 
instructions  and  rules  and  regulations  that  must  be  en- 
forced that  we  weren't  sure  we  would  not  be  jailed  be- 
fore night.  When  told  we  would  be  restricted  in  speed 
to  an  average  of  six  miles  an  hour,  we  made  up  our  minds 
to  an  unpleasant  "crawl";  but  when  we  saw  the  road  and 
its  grade,  we  became  quite  reconciled,  and  there  was  so 
much  to  see  that  we  lowered  the  top  and  sat  content  to 
take  in  at  leisure  the  sight  of  the  wonders  that  surrounded 
us  on  every  side,  and  only  quote  here  what  we  have  said 
to  each  other,  so  that  you  will  not  expect  me — poor  me — 
ever  to  describe  what  we  see  here:  "One  could  never 
say  there  is  no  God  while  gazing  at  all  this,"  and,  "As 
for  words,  they  fail  me,  I  can  only  think." 

[82] 


THE       MAIL      BAG  WEDNESDAY 

We  passed  Bridal  Veil  and  Cascade  Falls,  and  many- 
peaks  of  importance  that  we  were  unable  to  name,  but 
quite  able  to  see  and  to  admire.  We  soon  decided  that 
we  would  not  stop  at  any  of  the  many  camps,  but  try  to 
get  into  the  Sentinel  Hotel — "try,"  because  we  had  soon 
learned  that  many  excursions  and  thousands  of  people  had 
entered  on  the  trains  and  nearly  all  available  space  was 
taken.  With  our  usual  good  fortune  we  were  just  in  ad- 
vance of  another  train-load,  and  secured  very  comfort- 
able rooms,  not  in  the  main  building,  but  in  one  of  the 
cottages  just  across  the  road.  As  they  extended  their 
dining-room  by  using  a  lanai  (they  all  laugh  because  I 
won't  say  "porch"),  I  put  in  a  plea  that  we  might  eat  out 
there,  and  so  we  do,  continually  hearing,  as  we  dine,  the 
rush  of  the  waters  of  the  Merced  River,  and  being  able  to 
gaze  upon  Yosemite  Falls.  It  is  a  wonderful  setting — 
quite  too  fine  to  be  congruous  with  the  ordering  and  eat- 
ing of  just  plain  meat  and  potatoes,  canned  vegetables,  and 
pie!  But  even  these  are  of  good  quality,  and  are  truly 
relished  after  such  walks  and  rides.  Upon  our  arrival  we 
had  tea  served  on  the  lanai  outside  of  our  rooms,  because 
we  had  had  no  luncheon  except  jumbles,  figs,  and  nuts, 
which  the  blessed  lunch  kit  had  guarded  for  us.  That 
evening  we  merely  took  a  stroll  in  the  direction  of  the 
falls  and  retired  early  in  good  beds,  in  clean  rooms,  and 
sent  up  praises  and  thanksgivings  that  we  had  not  waited 
for  "Wednesday"! 

WEDNESDAY 
We  all  had  a  good  night,  and  didn't  hurry  getting  started 
out,  but  at  nine  thirty  went  off  to  walk  to  Mirror  Lake. 
It  is  scheduled  as  five  miles  there  and  return,  and  we  all 
felt  quite  ambitious  to  walk  it,  but  we  hadn't  included  in 
our  calculations  the  heat  and  dust  and  lazy  muscles,  so 
[83] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

Olga  was  the  only  one  of  us  who  actually  carried  out  the 
original  contract,  and  she  returned  with  swollen  hands 
and  feet  and  joined  us  in  declaring  the  distance  must  be 
more  than  "five  miles."  Following  this  strenuous  -at- 
tempt, after  a  rest  and  lunch,  we  all  indulged  ourselves 
in  doing  as  we  pleased  all  afternoon.  As  for  me,  I  wrote 
until  I  saw  double! 

Each  evening  we  walk,  so  this  evening  we  went  through 
the  art  studios,  shops,  etc.,  and  then  retired  early,  having 
spent  a  very  pleasant  day. 


THURSDAY 

I  proudly  write  the  day  of  the  week,  thus  proving  to 
myself  that  I  know  it,  for  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  keep 
track  of  in  a  life  like  this. 

Lest  you  may  be  wondering  how  I  think  this  Valley 
compares  with  Yellowstone  Park  or  Grand  Canyon,  let 
me  say  right  here  that  each  one  is  so  distinctively  different 
that  there  is  no  way  of  making  any  possible  comparison. 
This  is  decidedly  different  in  size,  colorings,  and  scenic 
effects,  but  it  is  no  less  interesting  and  beautiful.  One 
should  not  suppose  for  one  minute  that,  having  seen  one, 
he  had  seen  all,  but  should  certainly  see  all  three  to  be 
able  to  enjoy  them  by  contrast. 

Today  we  have  been  quite  active,  for  we  were  called  at 
five  forty-five,  were  over  at  breakfast  at  six  thirty,  and 
were  ready  at  seven  to  start  off  in  the  mountain  wagon 
to  see  Mirror  Lake  by  sunrise.  It  is  so  named  because  of 
the  wonderfully  clear  reflections  in  it  of  Mt.  Watkins,  of 
the  trees  surrounding  it — in  fact,  of  everything  in  the 
vicinity.  We  drove  on  from  there  to  Happy  Isles,  where 
we  saw  the  Merced  River  in  a  boiling  condition,  a  sight 
never  to  be  forgotten.     Even  to  those  of  us  who  had  seen 

[84] 


THE       MAL      BAG    THURSDAY 

Niagara  this  seemed  a  new  and  wonderful  sight.  These 
islands  are  within  walking  distance  of  the  hotel,  and  many- 
go  there  picnicking,  enjoying  their  meals  in  the  woods  and 
beside  this  awful  rush  of  waters.  We  left  the  stage  here 
and  started  on  the  trail  that  leads  to  Glacier  Point.  Our 
objective  was  Vernal  Falls,  which  was  said  to  be  only 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant.  By  the  time  we  had 
climbed  half  way  we  felt  we  had  done  a  good  mile,  but  on 
we  went,  taking  frequent  rests  by  the  wayside,  until 
presently  we  felt  the  cooling  air  from  the  falls  and  knew 
we  were  near.  Then  we  heard  the  distant  sound  of  them, 
and  then,  Oh,  then,  we  saw  them!  And  such  a  sight!  It 
is  only  one  more  of  tr^e  many  that  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated  and  understood,  for  it  is  surely  beyond  de- 
scription. Our  walk  back  was  down  hill,  and  the  "three- 
quarters  of  a  mile"  seemed  a  more  truthful  and  accurate 
estimate. 

We  then  went  down  to  the  foot  of  Yosemite  Falls,  from 
where  we  could  see  them  so  much  more  vividly  than  from 
the  hotel.  It  is  unusually  beautiful  just  now — indeed, 
that  is  true  of  all  the  falls  here  now,  for  they  had  a  few 
very  hot  days  and  the  water  overflowed  the  river. 

We  returned  to  the  hotel  at  eleven  to  rest  until  twelve 
o'clock  lunch,  which  we  ate  as  though  we  hadn't  seen 
food  for  days.  In  the  afternoon  I  wrote  while  the  rest 
did  as  they  pleased,  and  everybody  was  perfectly  happy. 

Between  three  and  four  I  saw  the  stage  arrive  from 
Big  Trees,  but  paid  no  attention  to  its  passengers.  In  a 
half-hour,  however,  I  discovered  charming,  darling  "Mrs. 
Shearman,"  whom  I  had  met  first  in  Honolulu  and  again 
on  the  ship  coming  up,  so  she  and  her  friend  have  become 
members  of  our  party  for  the  rest  of  our  stay  here. 

In  the  evening  we  all  visited  several  studios,  seeing 
what  I  consider  real  art,  for  if  there  is  anything  that  makes 
[8S] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

fine,  inspiring  pictures,  it  is  the  trees,  falls,  and  mountains 
of  Yosemite. 

The  air  is  "lovely,"  and  it  was  not  very  hot  today.  It  is 
surprising  the  number  of  people  there  are  here.  Every 
possible  available  space  is  used — I  hear  a  couple  now  com- 
plaining that  the  two  had  tried  to  sleep  last  night  on  a 
single  bed  and  had  had  no  sleep,  and  insisting  upon  a 
mattress  on  the  floor  if  no  other  room  can  be  found.  The 
stages  leave  just  as  full  as  they  come  or  the  Valley  wouldn't 
hold  the  people.  It  is  remarkable  how  many  come  in  by 
auto,  a  large  number  of  them  bringing  their  own  camp- 
ing outfit.  Some  of  them  are  quite  comfortably  fixed, 
but  we  prefer  the  house  and  its  conveniences.  When 
taking  these  stage  rides  (no  private  car  can  be  used  in  the 
Valley),  one  surely  sees  human  nature  and  has  a  chance  to 
study  character!  It  is  very  interesting,  but  it  inclines 
one  to  choose  his  own  company! 


FRIDAY 

Today,  except  for  a  nice  walk  early  in  the  morning, 
when  we  went  off  to  the  Indian  Village  to  take  pictures 
and  found  every  soul  but  one  away  picking  berries  (and 
that  dear  soul — a  man — doing  the  family  washing),  we 
have  done  just  as  we  pleased — a  game,  a  walk  for  Olga, 
and  yours  truly  swinging  the  pen.  Rain  has  fallen  in 
showers,  so  we  are  glad  we  had  no  definite  plans  and  feel 
sorry  for  those  who  are  out  on  the  trails. 

I  have  had  fairly  good  luck  with  my  pictures,  but  am 
mailing  Mr.  Pilsbury's  photo  cards  instead — no  time  for 
reprints  of  mine,  and  he  has  many  that  I  can't  get — because 
I  am  too  old  to  ride  a  donkey.  Isn't  it  awful  for  such  a 
young  child  to  have  to  make  such  an  acknowledgment? 

Mizpah,  till  next  time! 

[86] 


LOS       ALTOS,       CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ALTOS 

July  4 

Though  I  know  I  should  write  the  "ancient  history" 
of  the  past  two  weeks,  I  am  going  to  start  out  with  the 
things  of  the  present,  and  tell  you  of  our  day  in  the 
country  today.  We  picked  up  Dr.  Spencer  and  her  friend 
this  morning  and  left  at  seven  fifty,  in  the  car,  for  a  thirty- 
five  mile  run  into  the  finest  part  of  this  state  that  we  have 
seen  yet.  You  may  know  how  fine  I  think  it  when  I  tell 
you  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge  that  it  compares  favor- 
ably with  Honolulu  as  to  scenery.  We  came  straight  to 
Doctor's  bungalow  and  twenty-acre  farm  that  she  has 
provided  for  her  "old  age."  It  is  located  on  top  of  a  hill, 
which  is  itself  nearly  surrounded  with  hills  and  yet  has  a 
view  of  the  Bay.  The  first  thing  we  did  after  opening 
the  house  was  to  get  out  into  the  orchard,  and  there  we 
picked  apricots  and  inspected  peach  trees  and  other  fruit 
trees,  and  then,  while  Doctor  strayed  off  on  other  in- 
spections, we  prepared  apricots  for  preserves  and  pared 
apples  for  "real  apple  sauce."  After  lunch  we  got  some 
beautiful  plums  ready  for  the  preserving  kettle,  and  Doc- 
tor thinks  us  very  industrious  guests,  but  we  are  simply 
having  the  time  of  our  lives.  She  has  just  brought  in 
elderberries  and  is  surely  preparing  for  "some"  work,  but 
it  is  so  beautifully  cool  and  pleasant  here  that  work  be- 
comes fun.  Black  oaks  shade  the  whole  yard  and  house. 
She  had  said  before  we  came  that  I  could  spend  the  day 
in  the  hammock,  but  I  say  never!  in  this  beautiful  place. 

We  go  back  to  the  hotel  tonight  to  attend  to  some  pack- 
ing, etc.,  and  return  here  tomorrow  to  take  the  two  dear 
ladies  home.  They,  being  both  physicians,  have  no  time 
but  week-ends — and  not  always  that — to  enjoy  this  spot, 
but  they  are  anticipating  a  happy  future  here. 

I  87] 


DURING     OUR     STAY      IN      CALIFORNIA 

Back  in  San  Francisco!  Couldn't  get  my  mind  on  writ- 
ing down  there  today — was  having  too  good  a  time.  We 
were  all  so  busy  with  our  woman's  work  that  my  poor  hus- 
band looked  lonely,  so  we  all  had  a  laughable,  enjoyable 
game,  and  then  we  played  until  time  to  start  back.  Made 
the  run  in  two  hours,  reaching  here  at  seven  thirty.  The 
weather  was  perfect,  and  many  picnic  parties  took  ad- 
vantage of  it,  and  how  thankful  we  are  we  didn't  even  have 
a  puncture!  We  passed  a  number  of  cars  stalled  on  the 
road,  some  of  which  looked  as  though  they  might  stay 
there  indefinitely. 

I  said  my  mind  was  not  on  writing  this  afternoon:  did 
you  therefore  infer  that  it  is  this  evening?  You  are  quite 
mistaken  if  you  did — the  only  thing  in  my  mind  now  is  a 
desire  to  sleep.  After  a  day  spent  out-of-doors  I  am  never 
normal  mentally  at  night.  This  is  one  of  the  times,  how- 
ever, when  I  must  not  look  at  the  bed,  but  instead  at  this 
book,  for  I  shall  have  no  time  for  writing  tomorrow,  and 
we  leave  Monday  morning  early  for  a  three  weeks'  auto 
trip  north,  in  this  state,  and  on  up  to  Grant's  Pass,  Oregon, 
returning  via  Red  Bluff,  Sacramento,  and  Lake  Tahoe,  and 
we  are  anticipating  a  lovely  trip  through  a  lovely  country. 

And  now  back  to  Yosemite  Valley,  to  try  to  give  you 
an  idea  of  some  of  the  wonders  we  saw  in  our  second  week 
there ! 

I  am  not  certain,  but  am  under  the  impression  that  I 
closed  the  last  letter  on  June  19,  so  I  will  start  with — 

June  20 
Olga  left  at  seven  o'clock  to  join  a  party  going  on  mule 
back  to  Glacier  Point,  going  up  by  the  long  trail  and  re- 
turning by  the  short  one.  When  I  tell  you  that  the  latter 
is  less  than  half  the  length  of  the  former,  you  will  not  be 
surprised  to  know  that  she  was  glad  to  walk  half  of  the 


SUNDAY        IN        YOSEMITE 

way  down,  rather  than  get  dizzy  on  her  mule  and  roll  all 
the  way  down!  She  surely  is  the  right  kind  to  take  such 
trips  (while  this  old  lady  stays  on  the  level  and  off  of 
mules),  for  she  came  home  at  six  o'clock  just  as  fresh  as 
when  she  went  off.  We  contented  ourselves  with  two 
short  walks,  then  the  "  scribe  "  got  busy  for  a  few  hours,  and 
at  one  thirty  started  off  on  a  coaching  trip  to  new  Inspira- 
tion Point,  which  is  4930  feet  above  sea  level,  showing  that 
in  two  hours  we  had  climbed  1000  feet.  The  road  was 
narrow,  but  not  very  rocky  nor  dangerous,  and  we  nearly 
coasted  down  and  enjoyed  every  minute  of  the  trip.  Had 
a  lovely  view  of  El  Capitan  and  the  lone  pine  that  grows 
on  the  side  near  the  top.  The  actual  rainbow  on  Bridal 
Veil  Falls  was  one  sight  never  to  be  forgotten;  it  lasted 
about  a  half-hour.  The  meadow,  and  Merced  River  be- 
low us,  were  beautiful.  The  peaks  known  as  "The  Three 
Graces,"  "Sentinel  Rock,"  and  above  it  "The  Dome" 
and  "The  Three  Brothers,"  are  very  interesting  and 
distinctive,  no  two  being  alike. 

In  the  evening,  after  a  short  walk,  we  all  decided  that — 
"To  bed,  to  bed,  Thou  sleepy  head"  was  a  quotation  aptly 
applied  to  ourselves,  so  we  obeyed  its  injunction  and  were 
soon  in  dreamland. 


SUNDAY  IN  YOSEMITE 
Until  we  entered  the  dear  little  chapel  at  eleven  there 
was  nothing  to  remind  one  that  this  day  was  different  in 
any  respect  from  any  other  day,  but  every  seat  was  filled 
and  there  had  been  advertised  only  a  service  of  "quiet 
hour,"  in  other  words,  "Quaker  Meeting";  Mr.  Allen,  a 
minister  of  the  "Friends"  was  the  preacher.  It  was  a 
pleasant  surprise  that  they  did  not  have  any  "wait  until 
the  Spirit  moves"  meeting,  but  were  moved  to  conduct  a 
[89] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

pleasing  service,  opened  with  a  prayer,  read  two  lessons, 
sang  several  hymns  and  a  solo.  The  address  was  by  Mr. 
Allen  on  the  subject  of  Peace.  I  think  every  one  felt 
better  for  having  attended  that  service,  which  was  the 
only  one  in  the  Valley.  The  interior,  exterior,  seats,  and 
all  furnishings  of  this  unique  little  chapel  were  made  from 
wood  cut  in  the  Valley.  A  white  sheet  covered  the  altar, 
and  the  collection  box  was  a  piece  from  the  limb  of  a  tree 
with  a  square  place  dug  out  of  the  center,  that  forming  a 
basket  or  box,  and  this  was  nailed  on  to  an  ax-handle. 
The  real  simplicity  made  one  appreciate  that  effort  and  not 
money  had  made  it  possible  for  us  to  have  that  service. 

I  spent  the  afternoon  back  of  my  pen.  I  must  tell  you 
a  thrilling  story  I  have  heard.  It  is  a  really  true  one,  and 
not  one  to  amuse  you  either:  Some  time  ago,  during  an 
electric  storm  in  the  mountains  here,  seven  animals,  horses 
and  mules,  were  instantly  killed,  and  though  their  riders 
were  all  on  their  backs  at  the  time,  not  one  of  them  even 
received  a  shock.  Now  I  hear  some  one  asking,  How 
could  that  be?  I  remind  you,  please,  that  the  animals 
were  all  shod,  and  that  fact  and  Providential  interference 
are  the  only  known  ways  of  accounting  for  such  a  marvel. 

Perhaps  you  are  laboring  under  the  impression  that 
"  tourists "  are  lazy — retire  early  and  rise  late.  Let  me 
enlighten  you  by  telling  you  that  today  again  did  we  rise 
at  five  forty  and  have  breakfast  at  six  twenty;  now  when 
have  you  done  so  well?  Yes,  I  left  by  stage  at  seven  for 
another  view  and  attempt  at  some  pictures  of  Mirror 
Lake,  and  this  time  I  was  in  time  to  see  the  sun  rise,  and 
it  was  wonderful!  I  took  with  me  Miss  Anderson,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  enjoyed  being  the  first  one  to  show  her 
the  wonders  there  and  at  Happy  Isles,  and  she  did  ap- 
preciate everything  to  the  full. 

[90] 


SUNDAY        IN        YOSEMITE 

Not  wishing  to  take  the  Vernal  Falls  trip  a  second  time, 
I  coaxed  a  driver  to  bring  me  back  without  waiting  for 
the  walkers,  so  I  returned  at  nine  thirty,  and  though  I  was 
not  expected  before  the  regular  trip  at  eleven,  I  found 
my  husband  waiting  for  me  on  the  porch,  and  he  only  said 
he  thought  I  might  get  back  sooner.  Isn't  it  nice  to  be 
waited  for? 

After  getting  some  mail  off  we  visited  the  Jorgenson 
studio,  and  came  back  in  time  for  a  rest  before  having  an 
early  lunch,  for  today  we  are  to  leave  at  twelve  thirty  for 
Glacier  Point — and  Oh,  my!  could  you  have  seen  me  hop 
out  into  the  road  and  climb  the  hub,  spokes,  and  tire  of 
that  front  wheel  and  slip  into  the  seat  by  the  driver,  you 
would  not  think  me  so  ancient,  or,  what  is  worse,  so  cor- 
pulent. It  did  not  take  Olga  long  to  be  seated  beside 
me,  for  we  had  agreed  that  we  must  have  that  seat  in 
order  to  be  able  to  see  all  and  ask  all  the  questions  we 
wished  to  ask — and  what  we  said  had  to  go,  even  though 
others  had  had  the  same  plans.  We  quietly  said  to  our- 
selves, "If  they  want  to  get  ahead  of  the  Baird  party  they 
must  keep  moving !" 

Had  we  gone  up  the  side  of  the  mountain,  our  trip  would 
have  been  four  miles,  but  by  the  stage  route  it  is  twenty- 
six  miles,  over  rough,  narrow,  and  steep-grade  roads.  In 
that  many  miles  and  in  seven  and  a  half  hours  we  climbed 
nearly  4000  feet.  We  had  four  horses  to  do  the  pulling, 
and  the  dust  was  the  worst  I  have  ever  seen.  I  held  one  of 
my  husband's  handkerchiefs  over  my  nose  and  mouth  for 
the  entire  trip.  We  forded  some  small  streams,  and  we 
went  "bumpity  bump!"  all  the  time,  but  consider  it  one 
of  the  finest  trips  we  have  ever  taken.  The  wild  flowers, 
scenery,  forest,  snow-capped  mountain  (in  fact,  we  rode 
right  beside  snow,  and  one  week  before  the  road  had  been 
impassable  because  of  snow),   lights  and   shadows,   and 

[91] 


DURING      OUR      STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

falls — all  kept  our  interest  constantly  absorbed.  We 
were  cold  and  hungry  when  we  arrived  at  our  destina- 
tion, nor,  should  I  forget  to  say,  tired  as  well:  we  were 
very  tired,  but  nevertheless  we  would  advise  any  one  to 
take  the  same  trip  if  unable  to  ride  up  on  mule  back. 

Wild  lilacs,  forget-me-nots,  azaleas,  dogwood,  and  other 
flowers  added  greatly  to  the  color  effect.  There  were  also 
wild-cherry  trees  and  many  "snow  plants,"  which,  in 
general  form,  remind  one  of  our  hyacinth,  but  they  are 
deep  scarlet  in  color. 

There  was  much  fun  over  "Widow's  Tears  Falls,"  just 
a  small  quantity  of  water  falling  slowly,  and  so  named  be- 
cause they  dry  up  in  six  weeks! 

We  saw  three  wild  deer.  It  seems  sad  to  see  so  many 
crooked  and  fallen  young  trees;  this  is  due  entirely  to  the 
heavy  snows. 

Now,  are  we  not  good  travelers  to  endure  all  this  hard 
trip  and  not  feel  the  effect  of  the  unusual  elevation — 7214 
feet?  We  think  we  are,  and  I  think  I  was  a  tin  soldier 
to  sleep,  as  I  did,  uncomplainingly  on  a  bed  with  only  a 
thin  pad  thrown  over  its  spiral  springs.  Though  scraping 
my  shin  bones  on  the  spring  every  time  I  moved,  I  lay 
there  feeling  sorry  for  others,  since  we  each  at  least  had  a 
bed,  and  I  supposed  it  was  the  best  that  dear  little  hotel 
could  furnish,  and  any  way  it  was  worth  paying  some 
penalty — the  privilege  of  being  up  there  at  all.  When  I 
spoke  of  conditions  to  the  others  of  our  party  in  the  morn- 
ing, I  was  surprised  that  they  could  not  understand  what 
I  was  talking  about,  as  they  had  found  their  little  beds 
entirely  comfortable.  Later  it  was  discovered  that  they 
had  each  had  a  mattress  on  their  springs,  but  that  my 
mattress  had  been  taken  off  to  make  a  bed  on  the  floor  for 
some  people  who  had  come  up  to  that  little  doll  house 
without  making  reservations.     Then  I  felt  like  a  martyr, 

[92] 


SUNDAY        IN        YOSEMITE 

or  a   real  Christian,   at  having  shared   my  bed  with   a 
stranger! 

You  must  be  tired  reading  through  so  many  pages  of 
trash  hunting  for  some  sense  and  some  points  of  interest, 
but  you  know  it  is  my  style  to  tell  it  all. 

We  rose  at  four  forty-five  (yes,  it's  true!)  to  see  the  sun 
rise  and  cast  its  glow  upon  these  snow-capped  mountains, 
but,  alas!  it  didn't  "cast,"  but  just  rose,  so  we  and  many 
were  disappointed.  Olga  was  the  only  one  of  us  who  did 
not  slip  back  to  bed  for  another  "ten  winks";  she  had 
breakfast  at  six  and  walked  off  to  Sentinel  Dome,  going 
another  thousand  feet  higher — too  much  walking  for  us! 
I  got  out  and  took  some  pictures,  and  we  walked  out  to, 
but  not  onto,  the  overhanging  rock.  At  noon  we  lunched 
and  went  immediately  after,  in  stages,  to  Wawona,  an- 
other twenty-six  miles,  with  the  same  driver  and  horses — 
just  as  dusty  but  an  hour  less  time,  as  we  were  going  down 
and  not  up.  We  arrived  at  five  fifty,  well  ready  to  wash, 
dress,  dine,  and  retire.  This  is  the  first  real-looking 
"hotel"  since  we  left  the  city,  and  it  seemed  good  to  see 
it.  The  approach  to  it  is  over  a  covered  bridge  that 
seemed  quite  quaint  and  "old  fashioned."  We  found  the 
South  Fork  of  the  Merced  River  beautiful.  I  think  I 
haven't  told  you  that  we  sent  our  car  out  the  way  we 
came  in  and  around  to  Wawona  to  meet  us — cars  are  not 
permitted  on  the  stage  roads.  We  did  not  see  much  here 
because  it  meant  more  long  walks  to  do  so.  There  is 
nothing  very  unusual  to  see,  and  after  the  Valley  one 
needs  some  great  attraction  to  move  him  to  special  effort. 

Have  I  told  you  that  "Yosemite"  means  Great  Grizzly? 
That  is  said  to  have  been  the  name  of  the  Indian  chief 
who  was  here  when  the  Valley  was  discovered.  There  are 
none  of  the  original  tribes  in  the  Valley  now,  and  few  of  any 
tribe. 
[93] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

The  next  morning  we  started  off  in  the  stages  at  nine 
fifteen  for  an  all-day  trip  to  the  Mariposa  Big  Trees.  We 
ascended  3000  feet  in  nine  miles,  so  I  need  not  tell  you 
that  those  four  horses  walked  every  step  of  the  way  there. 
They  took  us  to  see  one  of  the  finest  bits  of  scenery  in  the 
world,  but  Oh,  my!  how  a  lover  of  autos  hates  to  have  to 
pity  horses!  This  grove  has  600  sequoias  in  it,  and  very 
ancient  ones  they  are — of  course,  only  the  old  ones  are 
counted  in  the  600.  The  "Grizzly  Giant"  is  the  only  one 
inclosed  in  wire  fencing — this  because  of  crazy  souvenir 
hunters.  It  is  224  feet  high,  and  is  over  six  thousand 
years  old — the  oldest  living  thing  in  the  world.  It  is  esti- 
mated to  contain  a  million  feet  of  timber.  The  tree  called 
"Columbia"  stands  327  feet  high.  The  one  known  as 
"The  Fallen  Monarch"  is  lying  on  one  side,  and  is  wide 
enough  to  have  had  a  stage  and  eight  horses  driven  onto  it 
and  stand  there  with  comfort.  We  walked  on  it  its  whole 
length.  The  "telescope"  tree  is  a  marvel:  it  has  been 
burned  at  the  base  (as  many  of  these  large  trees  have)  and 
on  up  through  the  center  without  changing  the  shape  of 
it,  and  as  you  stand  on  the  ground  under  it  and  look  up 
through  it  you  can  see  the  sky  out  of  the  top  of  it — yet  it 
is  still  alive.  All  stages  drive  right  through  "California" 
or  "Wawona"  trees;  it  seems  a  wonderful  thing  to  be 
able  to  do.  We  have  seen  the  same  thing  done  in  the 
state  of  Washington. 

This  grove  was  discovered  in  1857  by  Galen  Clark,  and 
though  many  of  the  trees  have  been  partially  or  wholly 
destroyed,  none  of  it  has  been  done  since  1 857.  It  is  very  sur- 
prising to  see  a  tree  with  nearly  the  whole  trunk  destroyed 
and  yet  the  upper  part  thriving  and  bearing  new  branches. 
The  first  tree  seen  by  Mr.  Clark  is  marked  by  what  the 
driver  calls  a  "monument":  a  rude  heap  or  mound  of 
stones  said  to  have  been  placed  there  by  Mr.  Clark. 

[94] 


SUNDAY        IN        YOSEMITE 

"Mariposa"  means  "butterfly,"  I  believe. 

The  knots  or  burl  of  the  sequoias  are  used  to  make 
souvenirs,  and  these  can  be  purchased  at  the  old  Cabin. 

All  the  trees  of  the  600  are  named  after  cities,  states, 
or  prominent  people.  When  we  discovered  "Hawaiian 
Islands,"  we  gave  three  cheers,  but  when  we  spied  "Hono- 
lulu," there  was  an  awful  roar  from  the  Baird  party! 
Of  course  the  others  think  that  we  are  Hawaiians  born, 
but  we  did  cheer  for  "Philadelphia"  too. 

We  saw  growing  wild  roses,  iris,  Indian  plant,  azalea,  and 
the  beautiful  manzanita,  a  plant  that  has  a  red  bud,  then, 
after  the  flower,  an  ornamental  berry;  it  is  indeed  beautiful. 
Many  of  the  trees  have  a  beautiful  light-green  moss  growing 
over  them,  and  it  adds  much  beauty  to  the  tree  with  its  dark- 
colored  wood.  "  Faithful  Couple  "  is  a  curious  tree.  These 
trees  grow  as  one  for  the  first  hundred  feet,  and  then  be- 
come two  separate  trunks,  each  bearing  its  own  branches. 

On  the  following  day  we  rose  at  six  o'clock  and  left  at 
eight  in  our  car  for  a  106-mile  run  to  Merced  on  our  way 
back  to  San  Francisco.  We  stopped  on  the  way  to  see 
Sugar  Pine  Mill,  and  were  greatly  interested  to  see  it  in 
operation.  They  employ  700  men,  and  flume  the  lumber 
sixty-five  miles  to  Madera.  The  Superintendent  con- 
siders the  Chinese  the  most  dependable  and  efficient  labor 
he  hires.  In  six  months  of  each  year  they  produce 
40,000,000  feet  of  lumber,  all  of  sugar  pine.  It  is  fasci- 
nating to  see  the  machinery  handle  those  massive  trees 
more  easily  than  I  could  lift  a  suit-case. 

On  the  mountain  road  coming  down  out  of  the  Sierras 
we  had  to  make  room  for  many  teams,  many  of  them  hav- 
ing as  many  as  ten  mules  and  two  horses  pulling  two  or 
three  wagons  together:  that  method  means  one  driver 
instead  of  two  or  more,  but  the  blessed  animals  are  still 
afraid  of  autos  and  we  pitied  them. 

[95  1 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

We  stopped  for  lunch  at  a  town  called  "Coarse  Gold/' 
but  we  saw  only  "coarse  food/'  and  had  to  leave  without 
any  kind  of  gold  at  all.  It  was  a  hard,  hot  trip,  but 
through  beautiful  scenery.  We  stopped  for  the  night  at 
Merced  and  were  comfortable. 

As  we  had  but  a  short  run  of  seventy-one  miles  the  next 
morning,  we  did  not  hurry  our  starting,  but  left  at  ten. 
We  had  a  state  road,  and  on  the  level,  so  found  it  much 
easier  riding.  Our  way  this  day  lay  through  orchard  and 
vineyard  districts,  and  we  saw  apricots  growing  in  wonder- 
ful plenty.  In  the  evening  we  enjoyed  an  hour  on  the 
roof-garden  of  the  Stockton  Hotel. 

We  left  Stockton  the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  for 
San  Francisco,  coming  over  the  Dublin  Grade  route,  and 
through  plenty  of  heat,  and  arrived  here  at  two  o'clock, 
where,  as  usual,  we  find  quantities  of  mail — including  an 
anniversary  gift. 

June  28,  Sunday,  I  took  as  a  real  day  of  rest,  and  did 
nothing  except  to  write  some  after  dinner.  John  went  to 
the  Cathedral  for  a  five  o'clock  service  and  met  several 
whom  he  knew. 

Monday  Mr.  Shelby,  a  Brotherhood  man,  called  and 
took  up  most  of  the  morning.  At  one  thirty  we  started 
ofF  to  go  out  to  the  Exposition  grounds,  to  be  present  at 
the  ground  breaking  for  the  Pennsylvania  (no,  not  "Hono- 
lulu"!) building.  And  let  me  tell  you  things  look  like 
business  out  there,  and  the  grounds  will  be  beautiful. 
We  cannot  say  we  felt  at  home,  notwithstanding  our  er- 
rand, for  we  didn't  see  a  familiar  face  except  one,  who  is 
connected  with  our  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  and  is  in  charge 
of  the  Arts  Building  at  the  Exposition.  The  speeches  at 
this  ceremony  were  all  brief  and  very  good.  The  two 
men  sent  out  by  Governor  Tener  are  the  same,  I  believe, 
who  have  had  the  commission  for  the  other  fairs.     They 

[96] 


SUNDAY        IN        YOSEMITE 

each  made  pleasing  addresses — especially  pleasing  when 
Mr.  King  announced  that  the  "bell"  is  coming.  One  of 
the  speakers  said  he  had  always  understood  that  to  make 
a  good  speech  you  must  get  up,  speak  up,  and  shut  up, 
but  that  it  is  mighty  hard  to  do  the  latter  when  speaking 
of  Pennsylvania  and  California. 

Another  California  man  said  that  though  he  was  ex- 
pected to  speak  about  California,  he  was  going  to  speak 
about  Pennsylvania,  for  without  that  state  there  would  be 
no  California,  for  Pennsylvania  was,  and  is,  the  mother  of 
the  flag  that  hangs  over  us — the  mother  of  liberty,  of  the 
bell,  of  expositions,  and  of  baseball.  The  last  name,  of 
course,  brought  forth  a  roar  of  applause. 

There  was  a  direct  wire  from  Pennsylvania,  and  while 
the  addresses  were  being  made  a  message  of  greeting  was 
received  and  read  from  Governor  Tener. 

A  lady  soloist  sang  very  sweetly.  She  was  the  picture 
of  my  friend  A.  J.  A.,  so  we  doubly  enjoyed  her.  Our 
building  is  to  hold  no  exhibits  except  the  bell,  but  is  to  be 
for  the  pleasure  and  reception  of  any  that  may  wish  to 
enter  its  doors — and  just  now  I  remember  that  no  doubt 
you  have  read  all  this  in  the  papers,  while  as  I  wrote  I 
thought  I  was  telling  you  home  news  from  a  foreign  shore! 

And  now  I  must  give  you  the  latest  news,  and  that  right 
quick,  for  I  too  must  learn  that  having  spoken  up,  I  must 
shut  up:  We  have  ordered  our  car,  and  it  is  to  be  delivered 
in  Philadelphia  on  September  15:  a  Peerless  limousine,  a 
seven-passenger,  six-cylinder,  forty-eight  horse-power  car, 
and  a  beauty.  We  are  very  happy  to  have  taken  another 
step  toward  home  and  dear  Honolulu. 


97) 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

LAKEPORT,  LAKE  CO. 

I  was  not  able  to  get  this  off  before  leaving  San  Francisco 
on  Monday  morning.  When  one  is  packing  for  a  three 
weeks'  motor  trip  it  takes  time  and  thought.  I  haven't 
the  ambition  and  enduring  qualities  that  I  have  down 
"home,"  and  that  makes  a  difference  with  my  writing. 

I  think  I  haven't  told  you  anything  about  the  car  we 
are  using.  It  is  a  Stearns,  and  not  an  easy  rider,  but  a 
sixty-horse  power,  a  chain  drive,  and  a  wonder  for  moun- 
tain work.  The  man  is  a  wonderful  driver.  Everybody 
who  sees  him  drive  remarks  about  his  ability,  and  we  are 
just  as  safe  with  him  as  when  in  a  hotel.  He  is  always 
neat  and  clean,  and  is  a  gentleman.  He  is  an  Eastern 
man,  and  has  driven  nearly  every  good  car  that  is  made. 
This  is  his  own  car.  His  home  now  is  in  Pasadena.  We 
secured  him  through  a  friend. 

We  are  surely  driving  through  beautiful  country  on  this 
trip,  but  I  will  tell  you  about  that  in  the  next.  I  am  writ- 
ing now  beside  an  open  window  at  seven  forty  p.  M.,  gaz- 
ing out  at  mountains  and  this  beautiful  and  very  large 
Clear  Lake.  My!  I  wish  you  were  all  here  to  see  for  your- 
selves. 

Our  Aloha  now  to  all,  with  a  "Mizpah!" 


THROUGH  THE  "REDWOODS" 
I  am  merely  beginning  this  here,  for  we  leave  at  eight 
in    the   morning.      You  may  or  may   not   believe    that 
"well  begun  is  half  done."     I  don't  always  think  it  is 
half  done,  but  I  realize  it  is  a  means  toward  that  end. 

And  now  I  should  like  to  tell  you  what  we  have  seen 
the  past  week,  but  I  can't — it  is  far  beyond  my  ability 
to  describe,  but  I  can  at  least  tell  you  where  we  have  been. 

[98] 


THROUGH      THE     "REDWOODS" 

First  let  me  say  that  since  June  13  th  we  have  had  only 
four  punctures,  and  those  occurred  the  first  two  days  near 
Stockton.  That  may  not  mean  so  much  to  you  as  to  us, 
but  the  roads  have  been  so  rough  that  even  though  we 
started  from  Stockton  with  four  new  tires,  and  have  not 
yet  run  their  guarantee, — 3500  miles, — we  think  they  have 
done  very  well  indeed. 

We  first  crossed  the  Bay  to  Sausalito,  and  traced  our 
road  by  the  map,  first  seeing  the  beautiful  hills  over  there, 
and  soon  coming  quite  near  to  beautiful  Mt.  Tamalpais, 
which  you  no  doubt  remember  hearing  me  talk  about 
before.  Then  on,  over  and  around  the  hills,  until  we 
reached  Santa  Rosa  for  lunch.  We  went  to  an  Italian 
restaurant  that  we  had  heard  good  reports  of,  and  en- 
joyed some  fresh  young  chicken — nothing  else  looked  to 
be  a  "prize  winner"! 

In  this  district  there  are  many  hop  fields — they  are 
the  only  ones  we  recall  having  seen  in  this  country.  The 
sight  of  them  carried  us  back  in  memory  to  England  and 
the  ride  from  Brighton  Beach  to  Tunbridge  Wells.  Here 
they  are  poled  only  four  or  five  feet,  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  the  English  ones  were  very  much  higher. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  the  fine  farming  done  by  the 
Italian-Swiss  colonies.  They  keep  the  soil  in  perfect 
condition,  and  grow  principally  grapes  and  hay,  but  also 
other  products  in  small  quantities. 

We  came  into  Cloverdale  expecting  to  spend  the  night 
there  at  a  good  resort  hotel,  but  they  could  not  take  us, 
and  suggested  that  we  go  on  to  Ukiah  to  the  Palace  Hotel. 
They  themselves  phoned  for  accommodations,  and  found 
they  could  give  us  "suites  with  bath,"  so  we  cheered  up 
and  started  ofF  for  another  thirty  miles.  On  city  streets 
or  state  highways  that  distance  would  have  meant  very 
little,  but  on  the  road  we  were  going  over  it  meant  that  we 
[99] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

did  not  arrive  until  seven  forty-five.  The  sight  of  the 
"Palace"  made  us  faint  at  heart!  The  manager  looked 
clean,  but  was  so  very  corpulent  that  we  were  reminded 
of  the  saying:  "Nobody  loves  a  fat  man,"  and  when  we 
entered  we  felt  that,  dusty  as  the  car  was,  we  would  do 
better  to  sleep  in  it.  But  we  were  shown  to  our  rooms, 
going  to  them  on  stairs  from  which  one  could  have  lifted 
the  dirt  with  a  tablespoon,  and,  alas!  the  rooms  were  little 
better,  but  the  beds  seemed  clean,  and  we  were  so  tired 
that  we  agreed  to  remain.  One  room  had  a  window  with 
the  curtain,  or  shade,  drawn.  When  I  insisted  upon  the 
boy  raising  it  to  give  us  air,  he  did  so  reluctantly,  for  it 
opened  into  the  hallway  only.  In  the  bureau  drawer  were 
a  bottle  of  whisky  and  a  horse-shoe,  and  back  of  the  door 
a  trunk,  so  that  we  expected  a  caller  any  time  in  the  night. 
We  had  the  whisky  removed  and  were  told  that  the  owner 
of  the  trunk  was  in  Europe.  And  now  let  me  lead  you  to 
the  dining-room:  The  linoleum  on  the  floor  was  so  mouldy 
that  the  sight  and  smell  of  it  made  us  feel  sick  as  we  en- 
tered, and  when  we  saw  the  food,  we  quickly  forgot  that 
we  had  just  said  that  we  were  starved — and  this  is  what 
we  were  to  have  for  two  meals!  Be  assured  I  dieted  and 
my  husband  ate  carefully.  I  think  it  useless  to  describe 
further  this  awful  "Palace,"  but  must  tell  you  that  I  saw 
the  beds  we  had  occupied  being  made  up  next  morning 
with  our  sheets  not  even  taken  off  to  be  shaken,  but  an 
attempt  made  to  smooth  out  the  wrinkles.  I  felt  like 
putting  up  signs  along  the  road:  "Avoid  the  dirt  and 
don't  stop  at  'the  Palace'  at  Ukiah!"  You  remember 
what  I  told  you  of  McCauley's  ?  Their  house  was  quite 
cleanly  as  compared  with  this. 

On  this  day,  long  to  be  remembered,  we  had  made  125 
miles.  We  were  repaid  for  arriving  late  by  seeing  the 
glory  of  the  sunset  over  the  mountains. 

[100] 


THROUGH      THE     ''REDWOODS'' 

The  Russian  River  formed  a  pleasant  part  of  the  land- 
scape on  our  way  from  Ukiah  to  Lake  County  to  see  the 
lakes.  We  saw  Blue  Lake  while  we  were  yet  miles  away 
from  its  banks.  When  we  reached  them  we  drove  quite 
all  around  it  until  we  found  a  resort  where  there  is  a  small 
hotel,  and  swimming,  boating,  and  outdoor  games.  It 
was  too  early  for  lunch,  so  we  did  not  sample  the  food,  but 
on  to  Laurel  Dell,  the  second  "blue  lake,"  then  another 
twelve  miles  to  Lakeport  on  Clear  Lake,  and  this  is  a  beau- 
tiful sight  to  behold.  All  of  the  ride  was  beautiful,  but 
this  lake  seemed  a  fitting  climax,  and  the  sight  of  its 
beauty  made  us  decide  to  remain  here  overnight,  though 
it  was  then  only  one  o'clock.  The  Garnett  Hotel  here 
is  small,  but  it  has  good  rooms  and  good  food,  which  was 
most  refreshing  after  what  we  had  endured  the  night  be- 
fore. One  place  on  the  lake  is  called  Willow  Point. 
There  one  can  enjoy  the  full  view  of  the  water  and  be 
entirely  in  the  shade — and  how  we  did  enjoy  it! 

A  small  boy  here,  about  seven  years  of  age,  interested 
me  greatly.  He  finally  was  persuaded  to  get  into  a  boat 
and  let  me  take  his  picture,  and  I  hope  by  this  means  I 
can  show  him  to  you.  He  was  intent  on  trying  to  fish,  and 
after  getting  ideas  and  instructions  from  me  he  announced 
that  he  had  for  bait  a  piece  of  peach.  When  I  told  him 
he  could  do  nothing  with  that,  he  solved  the  problem  by 
saying  he  could  use  flies,  and  he  knew  where  he  could  get 
any  number,  for  a  tent  near  by  had  lots  of  them  about  the 
food.  When  I  left  he  was  still  trying  to  catch  flies  to  fish 
with. 

When  we  started  on  the  next  morning  we  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  riding  on  the  shore  of  this  clear  lake  for  three  miles, 
and  then  for  a  while  in  sight  of  the  upper  lake.  As  the 
hills  rise  apparently  right  out  of  these  lakes,  they  present 
a  very  attractive  picture. 
[ioi] 


DURING      OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

Our  roads  were  good  but  narrow  to  Whittier  Springs,  a 
health  resort  where  there  is  a  fine  hotel.  We  did  not  wish 
to  tarry,  so  we  saw  only  the  buildings  and  the  broad  out- 
look from  them  and  rode  on,  through  beautiful  scenery, 
fording  the  Dutch  River  several  times.  We  passed  many 
teams  and  cars  on  the  narrow  roads.  We  saw  two  deer 
on  our  way.  At  two  twenty  we  arrived  at  "Willets," 
but  found  the  dining-room  closed  until  six  p.  m.  The 
eight-hour  labor  law  is  hard  on  hotels  and  those  who 
would  use  them  at  their  convenience — so  this  day  we 
went  lunchless. 

The  next  morning,  which  was  July  9th,  we  rose  at  five 
forty  in  order  to  get  an  early  start  for  an  eighty-six  mile 
run  over  and  around  the  Mendocino  Mountains.  We 
made  only  nineteen  miles  the  first  two  hours — you  can 
judge  of  the  roads  from  that!  We  had  to  back  down  a 
hill  quite  a  ways  to  let  one  team  pass.  It  was  a  fine  man 
who  made  it  possible  to  use  these  mountain  roads  at  all, 
but  all  who  ride  over  them  wish  he  had  made  them  wider. 

A  good  part  of  the  ride  this  day  was  through  a  lumber- 
ing district,  and  we  saw  many  men  at  work  and  saw  their 
camps,  and  felt  glad  we  did  not  have  to  stay  in  so  isolated 
a  place.  Many  of  the  mountain  peaks  were  snow-capped. 
We  followed  the  "Eel"  River  for  many  miles.  It  is  well 
named;  though  so  small,  it  is  very  pretty  because  so  well 
wooded.  The  colors  and  shadows  on  the  mountains  were 
perfect,  and  it  keeps  one  busy  trying  to  see  all  that  is 
well  worth  seeing.  We  saw  two  more  deer;  stopped  at 
Bell  Springs  for  water,  came  through  Harris,  and  then  on 
to  Fort  Seward.  Here  we  stopped,  having  a  letter  in- 
troducing us  to  the  lady  who  is  managing  the  beautiful 
hotel.  Here  too,  we  met  several  friends  of  Dr.  Spencer, 
so  we  felt  quite  at  home  and  were  well  cared  for.  It  had 
been  a  hard  ride  all  day,  and  we  were  thankful  to  find  good 

[  102] 


THROUGH      THE       "REDWOODS" 

food  and  rooms.  All  rooms  are  small,  so  we  insure  ventila- 
tion by  each  using  a  room  to  himself. 

We  were  up  the  next  morning  at  six  fifteen  to  make  an 
early  start  again  for  another  long  hard  run.  We  took 
some  pictures  before  leaving,  and  we  met  here  Mayor 
Mott,  of  Oakland. 

We  came  through  the  Humboldt  County  redwood  groves 
and  found  them  quite  wonderful  in  size,  age,  color,  and 
beauty.  Some  of  them  seemed  surely  ioo  feet  at  the 
base,  and  most  of  them  taller  than  my  eye  could  measure. 
Just  offhand  I  should  suppose  that  they  would  measure 
fifty  feet  at  base,  and  some  225  feet  in  height.  One  of 
these  beauties  was  responsible  for  a  three-quarter-hour 
delay,  for  it  had  just  been  felled — to  make  room  for  the 
state  highway — and  lay  right  across  our  road.  We 
watched  the  men  saw  it  in  two  places  and  roll  the  middle 
piece  off  the  road — rather  I  should  say  "crow-bar"  it  out 
of  the  way.  We  hadn't  gone  far  when  we  came  upon  a 
steam  hoist  that  filled  the  whole  road,  and  we  had  to  wait 
for  them  to  get  out  of  the  way.  Every  hour  lost  means 
that  much  later  arrival  at  our  destination.  These  roads 
are  very  narrow  and  precipitous — grades  very  steep.  An- 
other delay  was  caused  by  the  crossing  of  the  river  at  Rio- 
dell  on  a  ferry  operated  by  a  man  pushing  it  along  on  a 
cable.  Our  car  is  so  heavy,  and  these  boats  so  weak  look- 
ing, that  we  are  always  glad  when  we  reach  the  other  side 
in  safety. 

We  made  calls  on  some  of  Dr.  Spencer's  friends  on  our 
way  to  Eureka,  stopping  for  this  purpose  at  Alton,  Hydes- 
ville,  and  Fortuna,  and  arrived  at  Eureka  at  six  fifteen 
p.  M.  after  a  very  fine  and  interesting  day. 

Eureka  is  a  foggy  Bay  city — or,  I  should  rather  say, 
"town."  We  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  visit  the 
"stump  house."  You  will  not  understand  that  unless  I 
[  103  ] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

explain  that  this  is  a  curio  house,  being  the  interior  of  part 
of  a  redwood  tree.  It  is  quite  spacious,  with  its  full- 
sized  doors  and  high  ceilings.  You  would  need  to  be  told 
that  you  were  not  in  any  regular  room.  In  here  are  speci- 
mens of  burl  that  have  been  cut  from  the  redwoods.  One 
slab  is  about  3x8  feet,  and  so  beautifully  marked  that 
it  looks  more  like  a  painting  than  a  piece  of  wood.  Do 
you  know  that  these  burls  are  only  knots,  or  formations 
that  grow  on  the  side  of  the  trunk,  just  as  a  branch  might 
have  grown?  The  wood  of  them  is  usually  distinctively 
marked,  such  as  some  we  have  seen  in  which  the  grain  of 
the  wood  looks  like  fern  leaves,  every  marking  of  the  leaf 
showing.  At  the  stump  house  they  have  very  curious 
pieces:  one  shows  two  figures  face  to  face  as  though  talk- 
ing; it  is  named  "The  Neighbors";  another  is  a  perfect 
fox;  two  pieces  are  a  perfectly  shaped  pair  of  eyes;  an- 
other is  a  perfect  form  of  a  human  limb — and  they  even 
have  a  shoe  and  sock  on  it!  Outside,  hanging  on  another 
stump,  is  a  burl  dressed  as  a  boy  and  called  the  "Watch- 
man." It  is  quite  realistic  and  exceedingly  interesting. 
In  a  special  room  there  are  articles  for  sale  made  from 
burl,  and  some  fine  pictures  of  the  trees.  If  you  wish  to 
see  the  burl  frames  and  pictures  I  bought  you  must  go  to 
Honolulu,  for  we  sent  them  there  direct.  They  alone 
are  worth  a  visit  down  there,  and  then,  incidentally,  you 
could  see  us  and  the  home  that  shelters  the  pictures — and 
yours  truly. 

After  the  visit  to  the  stump  house  we  rode  out  to  the 
park,  and  it  is  lovely;  the  redwoods  are  so  stately  and 
fine  and  the  lake  is  charming.  In  it  were  some  swans  that 
entertained  us,  hoping  we  would  throw  them  food. 
There  is  a  real  zoo  here,  and  picnic  grounds. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMurray,  friends  of  Dr.  Spencer's,  called 
in  the  afternoon,  and  their  call  was  a  real  pleasure  to  us. 

[  104] 


THROUGH      THE     ''REDWOODS'' 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  we  went  to  Christ  Church 
at  eleven  and  enjoyed  a  very  pleasant  service.  The  con- 
gregation was  small.  The  preacher  has  a  more  powerful 
voice  than  he  is  a  powerful  preacher. 

We  made  two  calls  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  got  off 
twenty-five  pieces  of  mail. 

The  climate  of  Eureka  is  not  unlike  that  of  San  Fran- 
cisco: cool,  or  cold,  damp,  and  foggy.  They  say  they 
have  had  an  unusual  amount  of  damp  weather  this  year. 
As  much  as  we  dislike  real  hot  weather,  we  prefer  that 
to  fog  and  damp. 

We  left  Eureka  at  nine  Monday  morning  for  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  drives  we  have  ever  seen.  We  came  over  a 
narrow  but  good  road  to  Orick,  where  we  lunched.  "Mad 
River"  was  very  pretty  from  sections  of  our  way,  but  for 
the  most  part  the  road  lay  along  the  coast  front;  however, 
it  was  high  above  the  beach,  so  that  we  could  look  out 
over  the  sea  for  miles,  and  when  it  turns  away  from  the 
sea,  it  is  only  to  lead  into  a  beautiful,  heavily  wooded 
forest,  and  though  surrounded  by  heavy  timber,  we  could 
still  hear  the  rush  and  roar  of  the  sea;  then,  in  an  instant, 
we  were  out  again  gazing  into  its  blue  deeps.  Another 
attraction  was  the  beautiful  lagoons  along  the  coast. 
We  also  saw  beautiful  wild  flowers — mustard,  in  great 
abundance,  roses,  azaleas,  and  white  daisies,  and  a  host  of 
blackberries. 

Once,  upon  looking  down  on  the  beach,  I  was  much  sur- 
prised to  see  a  perfect  evergreen  tree  growing  in  sand,  and 
practically  surrounded  by  salt  water,  for  there  was  a 
lagoon  back  of  it. 

The  rock  formations  were  beautiful,  too;  many  of  them 
remind  one  of  the  Seal  rocks  in  the  Bay  at  San  Francisco. 

Many  of  the  wagons  that  passed  us  were  filled  with 
Indian  families,  and  they  always  respond  to  a  smile  and 
[105] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

a  greeting.  These  Indians  speak  English,  and  are  not 
blanketed  or  painted,  though  they  are  full  bloods.  I 
believe  there  is  a  large  reservation  on  the  mountain  near 
Orick. 

The  ferns  along  this  route  are  even  more  superb  than 
those  of  Fern  Forest  on  the  Island  of  Hawaii.  Though 
there  are  not  so  many  tree  ferns,  the  variety  is  greater, 
and  they  seem  more  thriving,  standing  so  erect  and  such 
beautiful  green,  some  of  them  standing  six  feet  in  height 
— and  all  this,  mark  you!  within  sight  or  sound  of  the  sea. 
We  are  charmed  with  the  day's  ride  and  its  varied  ob- 
jects of  interest. 

Much  of  this  beauty  will  be  missed  by  those  who  tour 
California  in  the  future,  for  they  will  likely  go  over  the 
new  and  beautiful  state  highway.  If  they  do  they  surely 
will  ride  in  more  comfort  and  safety,  but  will  miss  much 
as  well  as  see  much.  And  when  I  say  "safety,"  I  should 
tell  you  that  we  drove  miles  today  through  places  where 
not  even  a  dog  could  have  passed  us  safely.  You  may  be 
sure  we  were  always  glad  not  to  see  a  team  or  car  on  those 
sections  of  the  road.  The  grades  are  steep,  and  often  the 
ascent,  or  descent,  is  on  a  sharp  curve.  Believe  me,  if  we 
didn't  have  such  an  expert  at  the  wheel  we  would  never 
do  such  riding,  for  it  is  hazardous.  But  teams  along  the 
way,  when  we  do  meet  them,  certainly  do  make  a  way  for 
the  cars,  and  always  take  the  outside  without  being  asked. 
I  have  seen  some  of  them  in  places  over  which  I  should  re- 
fuse ever  to  drive  a  pair  of  horses,  but  so  far  none  have 
come  to  grief,  and  no  horses  have  done  more  than  shy  at 
our  car. 

I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  picturesque  many  of  the  old 
blown-over  stumps  are,  entirely  covered  with  beautiful 
growing  fern.  And  again  very  often  a  new  tree  is  to  be 
seen  growing  out  of  an  old  stump.     In  many  instances 

[106] 


THROUGH      THE       ''REDWOODS'* 

these  seem  quite  wonderful,  for  the  stump  is  either  out 
of  the  ground  and  you  fail  to  see  what  the  new  tree  is 
thriving  on,  or  it  is  still  standing  where  it  always  did,  but 
is  all  burned  from  the  ground,  only  the  upper  part  of  it 
being  alive  at  all.  I  have  seen  the  new  trees  standing  out 
in  any  and  all  directions,  but  many  of  them  exactly  in  the 
middle  of  the  stump.  I  feel  sure  they  will  present  a  very 
artistic  appearance  when  full  grown. 

We  crossed  the  Klamath  River  in  one  of  those  weak- 
looking  things  called  a  ferry.  The  river  was  quite  swift, 
and  but  for  the  launch  that  towed  us  and  the  cable  that 
kept  us  in  position  I  should  much  prefer  being  excused 
from  crossing  this  river  in  a  car.  But  don't  be  afraid,  for 
by  the  time  you  take  this  trip  (and  it  is  paying  little  com- 
pliment to  my  descriptive  powers  if  you  are  not  scared) 
the  bridges  that  are  now  under  construction  will  carry 
you  across  securely. 

We  reached  Crescent  City  by  night,  having  made  102 
miles  that  day.  The  last  four  miles  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  riding  on  the  beach,  and  the  smooth  riding  was  a  joy 
after  so  much  narrow  and  rocky  road. 

This  city  is  named  from  its  position  on  the  Bay. 

Our  man  was  very  tired  after  such  a  strenuous  day,  and 
we  were  all  glad  there  was  nothing  in  this  country  town 
exciting  enough  to  prevent  our  resting  all  the  morning — 
just  enjoying  the  sight  and  air  of  the  sea.  In  the  after- 
noon we  went  out  fourteen  miles  to  Smith  River  Valley 
to  see  some  more  redwoods  and  the  Smith  River.  The 
trees  are  always  there,  but  the  water  in  the  river  is  affected 
by  seasons,  and  at  this  time  of  the  year  there  is  little  water 
to  be  seen.  The  day  was  clear  and  beautiful,  but  the 
wind  was  beyond  measure. 

We  saw  today  some  more  curious  mail  boxes.  There 
are  in  use  for  these  boxes  tin  cans,  half-gallon  measures, 
[107] 


DURING      OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

wooden  boxes,  and  today  we  saw  a  very  ingenious  one: 
it  is  an  exact  model  of  the  owner's  bungalow,  and  looks 
like  a  bird  house.  As  the  stages  carrying  the  mails  are  high, 
and  the  driver  expected  not  to  leave  his  seat,  the  boxes  must 
be  placed  high — sometimes  they  are  hung  from  a  tree. 

We  left  Crescent  City  at  half-past  eight  in  the  morning 
for  a  ninety-six  mile  drive  to  Grant's  Pass,  Oregon.  Our 
way  lay  along  the  usual  narrow  mountain  roads  until  we 
passed  the  state  line,  when  we  soon  found  that  Oregon 
has  wider  but  more  dusty  roads. 

We  crossed  the  line  two  miles  north  of  Monumental 
(one  house).  It  seems  so  strange  to  me  to  see  so  many 
"towns"  on  the  map  in  large  print,  and  when  we  look  for 
the  town  we  find  it  has  only  one  house,  and  sometimes  even 
that  should  hardly  be  designated  by  the  name  of  "house." 

There  was  more  low  brush  than  timber  along  this  part 
of  the  way,  but  there  is  always  something  to  attract — 
this  time  it  was  the  rivers  we  saw:  South  River,  Rock 
Creek,  Applegate  River,  and  the  well-known  and  always 
beautiful  Rogue  River.  There  was  nothing  else  of  special 
note  except  the  awful  heat  on  our  arrival  at  Grant's  Pass 
at  six  thirty  in  the  evening. 

Josephine  Hotel  here  was  clean  and  quite  good,  and 
on  the  European  plan — pay  for  only  what  we  eat  and  get 
better  food ! 

But  if  the  heat  on  arrival  was  great,  what  shall  I  say 
of  the  next  day,  when  the  mercury  stood  at  no°  in  the 
shade!  And  we  were  taken  so  by  surprise,  for  we  had 
thought  of  Oregon  as  cool,  when  not  cold,  but,  alas!  not 
so  today.  It  was  the  hottest  the  residents  ever  remember, 
and  surely  they  will  never  forget  it. 

We  had  some  callers  and  then  drove  out  to  Tokay 
Heights  to  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKibbon,  friends  of 
Olga's  whom  I  have  known  for  nine  years  through  cor- 

[108] 


THROUGH      THE      "REDWOODS'* 

respondence  about  them  and  their  travels,  and  they  had 
heard  as  much  about  us.  We  were  all  very  glad  to  meet 
face  to  face.  They  have  just  built  a  new  home,  and  have 
twenty-eight  acres  in  orchard  and  almonds.  We  spent  a 
very  pleasant  afternoon,  and  before  we  left  they  decided 
to  take  their  car  and  two  guests  and  go  with  us  the  next 
morning,  which  was  very,  very  pleasant  for  us,  for  they 
knew  the  way  and  the  points  of  interest. 

So  we  left  Grant's  Pass  at  eight  forty-five  the  next  morn- 
ing, the  McKibbon  car  in  the  lead.  One  of  their  guests 
was  Professor  Hull,  originally  of  Kansas  City,  and  now 
supervisor  of  public  schools  in  the  West.  He  is  a  charm- 
ing man  and  a  very  jolly  companion. 

Savage  Rapids  in  the  everywhere  beautiful  Rogue  River 
were  very  attractive.  We  rode  through  Sams  Valley  in 
awful  heat,  and  after  a  sixty-seven  mile  run  reached  Pros- 
pect Park,  where  it  is  "always  cool."  Alas!  today  was  a 
shining  exception.  It  did  cool  off  for  the  evening,  how- 
ever. From  here  we  walked  quite  a  mile — we  all  agreed, 
though  the  sign-board  said  y^  mile — down  and  up  grade 
to  see  Mill  Creek  Falls.  It  was  well  worth  the  trip,  for 
they  are  truly  beautiful.  The  fall  is  240  feet.  One  of 
the  sugar  pines  along  this  walk  measures  thirty-one  feet  in 
circumference.  We  killed  a  real  rattle-snake  having 
seven  rattles.  The  hotel  here  was  small  but  unusually 
clean,  and  served  good  food  well  cooked,  and  all  of  that 
cannot  be  said  of  most  of  the  hotels  encountered  on  this 
trip.  The  bedrooms  were  amusingly  plain:  the  wash- 
stand  was  a  bench,  the  pitcher  and  basin  were  of  enamel- 
ware,  the  bureau  was  a  little  table  with  a  glass  6x8 
inches  hung  above  it.  But  everything  was  very  clean  and 
we  rested  nicely. 

In  the  morning,  July  18,  we  left  Prospect  at  seven  forty- 
five,  with  a  long  hard  pull  of  ninety-eight  miles  ahead  of 
[109] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

us.  The  first  thirty-five  miles  took  us  to  an  elevation  of 
7200  feet,  through  beautiful  forests,  to  Crater  Lake,  one 
of  the  greatest  wonders  of  the  world.  The  water  in  this 
crater  has  been  sounded  to  a  depth  of  1996  feet,  but  the 
actual  depth  is  not  known,  so  far  as  I  could  learn.  The 
water  is  so  blue  that  the  beautiful  blue  sky  above  seems 
all  faded  out.  It  is  1000  feet  from  the  rim  down  to  the 
water.  Had  there  been  anywhere  to  sleep  but  in  tents, 
we  would  have  stayed  overnight  here,  for  I  was  very 
anxious  to  get  out  on  that  water  in  a  boat.  There  are  two 
little  islands  in  the  lake:  one  with  its  rugged  point  is 
called  Phantom  Ship — this  scene  is  far  beyond  my  powers 
of  description,  you  must  see  it!  If  you  can't  see  the  orig- 
inal, do  slip  down  to  Honolulu  and  see  the  oil  painting  of 
it  that  we  purchased.  We  had  an  excellent  trout  lunch 
up  here.  The  lake  is  in  a  National  Forest,  so  it  will  al- 
ways be  protected,  and  a  fine  hotel  is  being  built.  They 
are  constructing  a  fine  state  highway  through  here,  and  it 
is  very  sad  to  see  the  noble  old  trees  being  felled  to  make 
way  for  it. 

On  going  out  of  the  Park  we  had  to  pass  an  enormous 
steam  shovel,  and  had  it  not  been  situated  just  as  it  was, 
where  there  was  an  opportunity  for  us  to  climb  around  it 
in  the  woods,  we  would  have  lost  several  hours  waiting 
for  it. 

The  dust  is  so  thick  on  the  Oregon  roads  that  we  need 
use  no  horn — the  dust  accompanying  us  is  a  signal  that 
can  be  seen  for  a  mile.  We  can  hardly  see  each  other  in 
the  car  at  times — and  how  we  dread  to  pass  a  team,  or 
another  car,  for  we  never  think  of  the  dust  we  are  giving 
them,  but  only  of  what  we  are  taking  from  them! 

Finally  we  passed  the  crest  and  began  coming  down,  so 
that  at  Fort  Klamath  we  were  only  4172  feet  up.  The 
way  lay  through  Wood  River  Valley,  and  we  saw  much 

[no] 


NORTHERN     PART     OF      THE       STATE 

snow  on  the  distant  mountains,  but  it  didn't  cool  us  off 
any. 

We  drove  for  miles  on  the  road  above  Klamath  Lake, 
and  pulled  into  Klamath  Falls,  at  the  White  Pelican  Hotel, 
at  five  thirty,  nearly  roasted,  and  covered  with  dust  al- 
most beyond  recognition,  but  quite  happy  to  have  seen 
what  we  had  this  day  of  nature's  beauties. 

The  hotel  here  is  all  that  could  be  asked,  and  as  it  was 
too  hot  on  Sunday  to  wear  any  unnecessary  clothing,  we 
had  meals  served  in  our  rooms  and  slept  and  wrote  untib 
fortunately,  by  evening  it  cooled  off. 

We  leave  here  for  Shasta  Springs,  RedblufF,  Lake  Ta- 
hoe,  and  Sacramento,  and  expect  to  get  into  San  Francisco 
about  the  thirtieth. 

Good-night  to  you  all.     Mizpah ! 


NORTHERN  PART  OF  THE  STATE 
According  to  the  records,  I  have  not  written  you  since 
July  20th,  at  which  time  I  left  you  at  Klamath  Falls, 
where  there  are  no  "falls";  where  the  beautiful  Klamath 
Lake  is  miles  away,  and  where  the  river  of  that  name  is 
also  far  distant.  We  went  there  for  fishing,  but  as  we  did 
not  care  to  drive  thirty  miles  each  day  to  reach  water,  we 
had  no  fishing.  Now,  on  July  21,  I  take  you  with  us  for 
a  112-mile  run  to  Shasta  Springs,  a  resort  well  known 
throughout  the  state. 

When  we  left  the  White  Pelican  Hotel  we  saw  Mt.  Shasta 
75  miles  away,  and  we  seldom  lost  sight  of  it  for  a  whole 
day  at  any  time.  It  is  beautiful  to  watch,  noticing  how 
different  those  huge  masses  of  rock  look  from  different 
angles,  and  how  different  the  snow  looks  at  different  times 
as  it  lies  cuddled  in  all  the  crevices  and  covering  the  actual 
top  of  the  mountain, 
[ml 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

We  had  the  pleasure  of  again  riding  through  a  sugar- 
pine  forest.  The  trees  are  beautiful,  though  none  so  large 
as  the  redwoods. 

Again  I  must  speak  of  the  contrast  between  nature  as  it 
is  seen  in  its  age  and  beauty  in  the  north  of  this  state,  and 
the  likewise  beautiful,  but  altogether  cultivated,  condi- 
tions in  the  south — of  course,  you  recall  that  we  are  again 
back  in  California. 

The  range  of  Siskiyou  Mountains  is  very  attractive  to  look 
upon;  several  peaks  are  snow-covered.  We  rode  through 
plenty  of  grasshoppers  all  day.  They  even  flew  into  the 
car,  kissing  and  caressing  us  in  a  quite  too  friendly  way. 

The  hotel  at  Shasta  Springs  is  run  on  the  cottage  sys- 
tem, with  one  main  dining-room;  it  is  a  very  popular 
house  as  a  resort. 

We  left  at  nine  fifteen  the  next  morning,  thinking  that 
our  short  run  for  the  day  (seventy-one  miles)  could 
easily  be  accomplished,  but  we  foolishly  clung  to  a  very 
fine  piece  of  road,  even  paying  five  dollars  toll  to  drive 
over  it,  only  to  come,  after  sixteen  miles  of  it,  to  a  locked 
gate  to  find  that  we  were  riding  on  private  property  lead- 
ing to  summer  residences  on  the  river  front.  So  back  we 
had  to  go,  charging  up  to  "P.  L."  thirty-two  miles.  By 
this  time  we  were  growing  excited,  for  we  had  learned  that 
the  road  we  must  travel  was  the  worst  in  the  state,  and 
that  meant  to  us  something  more  than  the  annoyance  of 
the  bad  road,  as  we  had  found  that  in  such  conditions  we 
could  make  at  the  best  only  eight  or  nine  miles  an  hour. 
But  on  we  went,  and  we  made  our  108  miles  by  seven 
thirty. 

We  tried  to  come  by  way  of  the  town  of  "Baird,"  but 
the  road  was  closed.  We  were  going  to  claim  the  owner- 
ship of  all  we  saw,  though  that  would  not  have  been  much 
besides  the  State  fish  hatchery. 

[112] 


NORTHERN      PART     OF      THE      STATE 

We  followed  the  Sacramento  River  all  day,  and  found 
it  of  real  beauty  in  many  places.  Castlecrag  Mountain 
is  well  named,  and  makes  a  picture  in  the  landscape  that 
can  be  seen  for  miles  around.  At  La  Moine  there  is  a  very 
large  timber  mill,  but  we  did  not  stop.  At  Kennett  we 
had  to  cross  the  river  on  one  of  those  toy  ferries  and  made 
a  poor  landing  in  sand.  While  the  others  worked  with 
the  car  and  the  sand  "the  photographer"  took  what 
proved  to  be  a  beautiful  picture — she  took  it  under  diffi- 
culties, too! 

Our  roads  this  day  were  very  rocky,  dusty,  and  narrow 
— so  narrow  that  they  looked  like  scratches  on  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  as  we  rode  over  and  around  them  all  the 
way.  The  road  was  the  worst,  truly — so  bad  that  we 
decided  to  continue  our  way  to  Lake  Tahoe  by  train. 

We  saw  Mt.  Shasta  in  the  distance  several  times  dur- 
ing the  day.  We  reached  Redding  at  seven  thirty,  and 
found  there  a  fairly  good  hotel — and  we  surely  were  ready 
for  food  and  bed,  though  we  always  have  food  with  us  in 
the  lunch  kit,  so  never  suffer  for  that.  Don't  infer  from 
this  that  we  do  not  enjoy  motoring  and  seeing  the  scenery 
we  could  not  see  from  a  train:  we  do,  but  we  like  fairly 
good  roads. 

We  left  Redding  in  the  morning  (July  23)  on  the  eight 
thirty-five  train :  having  sent  the  car  on  to  meet  us  at  Lake 
Tahoe. 

Though  we  came  through  a  very  hot  valley  on  a  hot  day, 
we  were  entirely  comfortable.  Instead  of  having  to  go 
into  Sacramento,  as  we  had  anticipated,  our  genial  con- 
ductor so  arranged  tickets  and  baggage  that  we  changed 
trains  at  Roseville  and  thus  arrived  at  the  Tavern  at 
Lake  Tahoe  at  nine  that  evening  instead  of  eight  next 
morning,  as  planned  out  by  the  hotel  clerk — a  not  always 
efficient  bureau  of  information. 
[113]  8 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

Our  day's  ride  was  through  rich  and  interesting  ranch 
(farm)  lands — one  ranch  has  59,000  acres.  It  was  given 
by  Governor  Stanford  to  Stanford  University.  They 
grow  nearly  everything,  and  it  is  quite  an  asset  to  the 
University. 

A  great  many  hops  are  grown  in  this  district — one  ranch 
has  614  acres  in  hops. 

We  did  not  ride  through  the  town  of  Oroville,  but  were 
much  interested  in  the  accounts  of  the  unusual  combina- 
tions of  soil  there:  it  is  not  only  very  rich  in  gold,  having 
large  mines,  but  very  rich  also  in  olives  and  oranges. 

Our  train  crossed  the  Yuba,  Bear,  and  Feather  Rivers, 
but  the  water  is  always  very  low  in  summer.  Three 
miles  from  Truckee  (which  is  the  station  where  the  change 
is  made  from  the  main  line  to  the  small  train  for  Tahoe) 
is  Donner  Lake,  three  miles  long  and  one  wide.  It  has 
historical  interest  as  well  as  beauty. 

Though  we  were  hours  on  the  way,  we  enjoyed  the  trip 
and  found  the  change  of  riding  on  tracks  instead  of  rocks 
very  pleasant. 

LAKE  TAHOE  AND  SACRAMENTO 
A  daily  account  of  this  part  of  the  trip  might  be  tire- 
some reading,  for  in  resorts  one  is  apt  to  walk,  talk,  eat, 
sleep,  and  be  merry,  each  day  being  about  the  same  as 
every  other,  so  I  will  bulk  our  days  spent  here — and  I 
might  write  all  day  and  not  then  be  able  to  express  to  you 
my  fascination  for  all  of  the  real  beauty  which  everywhere 
surrounds  this  lake  district. 

After  spending  the  first  night  at  the  Tavern,  which,  by 
the  way,  is  a  very  fine  house,  we  took  a  trip  the  next  morn- 
ing nearly  around  the  Lake,  stopping  at  all  the  resorts  to 
take  on  or  leave  passengers.  Except  Tallac  and  Glen- 
brook,  these  resorts  are  all  built  principally  of  tents  with 

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LAKE      TAHOE      AND       SACRAMENTO 

a  tiny  hotel,  but  there  are  so  many  who  prefer  an  out-of- 
door  life  that  these  places  are  quite  as  popular  as  the 
larger  ones.  There  are  plenty  of  fishing,  boating,  swim- 
ming, mountain  climbing,  and  trail  riding,  and  every- 
body seems  to  forget  care  and  enjoy  everything  that  comes. 
Trout  fishing  is  a  great  attraction,  and  the  fish  is  at  such  a 
premium  that  a  good  catch  means  dollars  and  cents  as 
well  as  sport,  for  they  can  be  sold  for  from  thirty  to  sixty 
cents  a  pound,  and  in  San  Francisco  at  any  price  the  dealer 
asks.  I  should  say  that  in  two  or  three  hours  we  only 
caught  two,  but  we  were  quite  proud  of  even  that  when  we 
found  a  professional  fisherman  who  only  had  four  in  two 
hours'  more  time — the  fish  were  either  scarce  or  are  getting 
too  wise.  As  we  were  eating  trout  at  the  hotel  we  shipped 
ours  to  Dr.  Spencer  in  San  Francisco,  and  she  can't  say 
enough  in  praise  of  the  fishermen  who  caught  such  de- 
licious fish.  I  should  judge  they  weighed  five  or  seven 
pounds,  and  the  use  of  the  boat  and  man  to  manage  it  only 
cost  us  three  dollars,  so  that  is  cheap  sport,  isn't  it? 
Later  on  I  have  another  fish  story  to  tell  you. 

We  stayed  at  Glenbrook  until  our  car  reached  us,  and 
then  went  back  over  the  mountains  to  the  Tavern. 

Lake  Tahoe  is  well  known  throughout  the  country.  It 
is  a  mountain  lake  twenty-four  miles  long  and  thirteen 
across.  It  has  been  sounded  to  a  depth  of  2000  feet.  At 
Rubicon  Point  the  elevation  above  the  sea  is  6240  feet, 
and  the  mountains  rise  up  above  and  around  the  water  for 
thousands  of  feet.  The  lake  lies  in  a  depression  of  the 
Sierras,  and  the  state  line  runs  nearly  through  the  middle, 
so  while  we  were  at  Glenbrook  we  were  in  Nevada,  while 
at  the  Tavern  we  were  in  California.  Carson  City  is 
only  fifteen  miles  from  the  lake,  and  Reno  about  thirty- 
five.  In  the  region  of  Tahoe  are  more  than  100  streams 
that  feed  this  lake;  the  rivers  are  Truckee,  Upper  Truckee, 

["Si 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

American,  and  Yuba.  They  are  all  famous  for  their 
beauty  and  for  the  trout  fishing. 

Tahoe  was  first  seen  by  a  white  man,  J.  C.  Fremont,  in 
February,  1844.  The  name  Tahoe  is  Indian,  and  means 
Big,  or  High,  Water.  On  its  surface  are  sharply  con- 
trasted colors.  The  best  description  of  it  would  be  a  ring 
of  emerald  with  a  heart  of  blue,  for  that  is  just  what  one 
sees  as  he  looks  upon  it — and  then  such  wonderful 
shades  and  variations  at  sunset  and  sunrise!  To  my 
mind  the  white  snow  on  the  surrounding  mountain-tops 
helps  very  much  to  make  the  striking  contrasts.  The 
mountain  sides  are  green,  and  surely  beautiful  in  their  ir- 
regularity of  height  and  form. 

Truckee  is  fifteen  miles  from  the  lake,  and  the  Tahoe 
transportation  train  runs  along  by  the  side  of  the  Truckee 
River  for  most  of  the  way.  The  varieties  of  trout  to  be 
found  in  these  streams  are  the  Rainbow,  Eastern  brook, 
Loch  Leven,  and  Mackinaw.  We  used  copper  lines 
trolling  for  them;  I  saw  no  fly  fishing  at  all.  There  are 
many  residences  around  the  lake,  and  it  is  a  very  popular 
California  resort  in  summer,  but  in  winter  it  is  quite  a 
different  place.  Then  the  snow  falls  as  high  as  fourteen 
feet;  caretakers  have  to  be  left  there  to  shovel  the  snow 
off  the  roofs  (and  they  are  quite  welcome  to  the  job!),  or 
the  frame  structures  could  not  stand  the  weight. 

The  grounds  at  Glenbrook  and  the  Tavern  are  veritable 
gardens  and  exceedingly  attractive.  "Shakespeare  Rock" 
is  just  another  of  those  freaks  of  rock  formation,  but  this 
likeness  is  certainly  very  striking  and  impressed  me  as 
being  at  least  as  good  as  any  we  saw  at  Stratford,  England. 
Emerald  Bay  is  truly  well  named,  and  the  little  island  of 
rock  in  it  adds  not  a  little  to  its  beauty. 

We  did  not  see  our  car  again  until  the  fourth  day  after 
we  had  left  it.     He  claimed  he  had  bad  luck  as  soon  as  the 

[116] 


LAKE      TAHOE      AND       SACRAMENTO 

"Baird  luck"  left  him.  He  weighs  seven  pounds  less 
than  when  he  left  home.  He  is  welcome  to  his  work. 
While  driving  is  hard,  to  me  it  would  be  just  as  hard  sit- 
ting around  waiting  for  orders  to  move  on. 

We  saw  a  few  Indians,  but  they  are  very  scarce  there 
now — where  the  white  man  enters  the  red  man  seems  to 
leave.  There  is  an  unusual  number  of  beautiful  gulls  this 
year,  and  I  admire  them  very  much. 

One  evening  we  heard  a  lecture  on  Egypt  by  a  clergy- 
man who  doesn't  happen  to  know  more  about  his  sub- 
ject than  we  do — and  that  isn't  giving  him  much  credit. 

We  visited  an  exhibit  of  Indian  basket-work,  and  found 
an  interesting  collection.  Can  you  imagine  a  single  basket 
selling  for  #1500  or  #3000?  Yes,  they  do,  and  people  buy 
them,  too — but  not  these  people !  We  saw  a  seventy-nine- 
year-old  squaw  working,  and  she  does  the  finest  kind  of 
work.  I  couldn't  even  make  a  good  guess  what  she  weighs, 
but  surely  not  under  400.  She  has  wonderful  black  hair 
and  looks  only  about  fifty  years  old,  but  her  history  is  well 
known,  and  seventy-nine  for  her  age  is  authentic.  I  can't 
show  her  to  you,  as  she  doesn't  stand  for  kodaks.  She 
earns  good  money  and  has  too  much  pride. 

And  now  we  are  leaving  the  lake  in  our  car,  and  I  wish 
I  might  actually  take  you  over  that  road  to  get  the  views. 
While  surrounded  by  lovely  pine  and  fir  trees,  as  you  rode 
you  would  look  out  upon  that  sheet  of  green  and  blue, 
with  the  mountains  seeming  to  burst  out  of  its  midst. 
And  while  riding  over  the  summits  and  seeing  beyond  for 
miles,  and  below  for  thousands  of  feet,  you  will  be  awed 
not  only  by  the  marvelous  beauty,  but  also  by  the  knowl- 
edge that  there  is  not  room  for  another  car  to  pass,  and 
yet  there  may  be  one  any  minute  around  one  of  the  many 
curves.  I  took  this  ride  twice  and  enjoyed  it;  would  you 
be  willing  to  take  it  once  after  reading  this  attempt  at  a 
1 117] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

thrilling  story  ?  You  would  if  I  were  along.  I  would  see 
to  it  that  you  never  let  fear  spoil  your  pleasure  in  seeing 
nature  in  all  its  beauty. 

Now  (July  29th)  we  are  in  Sacramento,  the  capital  of 
this  beautiful  state.  You  may  be  interested  to  know  that 
its  streets  and  frame  residences,  with  their  lawns  and  gar- 
dens around  them,  made  me  think  of  Cleveland.  It  is 
a  much  prettier  city  than  I  had  expected  to  see.  The 
Capitol  building  and  grounds  cover  ten  squares.  The 
building  itself  is  old,  having  been  erected  in  1860-70,  at 
a  cost  of  three  million.  It  is,  however,  in  good  condition. 
The  two  "  houses  "  are  quite  pretty.  Over  the  desk  in  one 
hangs  a  full-sized  picture  of  Lincoln,  in  the  other,  one  of 
Washington.  There  are  other  paintings  and  portraits. 
On  entering  one  sees  the  famous  statue  of  Queen  Isabella  of 
Spain  which  has  some  interesting  incidents  connected  with 
it:  it  was  carved  by  an  American  in  Florence,  Italy  (the 
home  of  much  beautiful  art),  and  shipped  to  New  York. 
When  it  was  being  unloaded  from  the  ship  the  pulley 
broke  and  it  landed  in  New  York  Bay,  and  remained  there 
for  three  months — it  weighs  five  tons.  It  was  finally 
raised  and  brought  here,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  only  one 
finger  was  broken  by  its  accident.  It  is  cut  from  a  single 
piece  of  marble,  and  is  really  very  artistic.  There  are 
many  relics  of  flags  in  cases — some  from  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  some  from  the  Civil  war — only  one  that 
actually  got  to  the  front  because  of  the  distance  and  lack 
of  means  of  transportation  for  the  army.  The  view  of  the 
gardens  and  city  from  the  tower  is  very  attractive.  The 
capitol  grounds  are  lovely;  they  have  orange,  lemon, 
grape-fruit,  and  hundreds  of  other  trees;  beautiful  ole- 
anders, flowering  bushes  and  flowers,  and  all  in  fine  con- 
dition. The  population  of  the  city  was  given  me  as 
75,000.     We  enjoyed  a  visit  to  the  Crocker  Art  Gallery. 

[118  J 


SOUTHERN     CALIFORNIA 

This  is  a  private  collection  of  foreign  and  ancient  artists, 
and  one  feels  quite  out  of  this  country  at  seeing  some  of 
the  works  of  Murillo,  Raphael,  Leonardo,  and  others. 
Also  while  in  the  city  we  called  on  Bishop  Moreland,  but 
found  they  were  all  away.  One  day  we  went  out  to  old 
Fort  Sutter,  which  is  now  only  a  relic  of  times  gone  by. 
Here  are  preserved  some  of  the  things  that  were  sent  around 
the  Horn  and  were  the  first  of  their  kind  to  reach  this  state. 
Among  them  are  a  printing  press  and  a  fire  engine.  There 
is  an  ox  cart  two  hundred  years  old.  General  Sutter  was 
Spanish.  The  first  gold  found  in  the  state  was  found  on 
his  ranch  at  Coloma  in  1848. 

And  now  we  leave  this  city,  having  seen  what  we  did  in 
a  very  limited  time  on  a  very  hot  day. 

We  went  by  electric  train  to  San  Francisco.  The  train 
crosses  the  Sacramento  River  on  a  ferry.  The  ride  is  a 
pretty  one,  but  too  hot  through  Sacramento  Valley  to 
make  it  by  motor,  so  again  we  sent  the  car  on  ahead. 

En  route  I  inquired  what  the  tanks  in  the  distance  were, 
and  learned  that  they  are  Standard  Oil  tanks  in  a  small 
town  called  Pittsburg,  so  you  see  we  seemed  quite  near 
home  for  a  little  while. 

Once  more  we  are  in  San  Francisco,  and  here  I  had  a 
busy  time  from  Friday  until  Tuesday  morning,  when  we 
left  for  the  south.  Each  trip  required  different  packing 
and  a  general  fixing  up,  etc.,  and  we  had  to  decline  invita- 
tions and  devote  ourselves  to  it.  However,  we  did  call  on 
Bishop  and  Mrs.  Nichols,  returning  a  call  made  on  us  in 
June. 

SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA 

August  4 
On  our  way  south,  and  there  is  little  so  far  worth  not- 
ing.    We  made  115  miles  the  first  day,  and  spent  the  night 
[119] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

at  Del  Monte,  that  beautiful  hotel  that  is  a  small  world  of 
comfort  and  beauty,  surrounded  by  125  acres  of  trees, 
lawns,  and  flowers.  There  are  here  1366  varieties  of  plant 
life;  ninety  varieties  of  roses — it  is  all  too  lovely  to  de- 
scribe. You  must  see  it  for  yourself.  Monte  is  Spanish 
for  forest,  and  if  you  can  picture  to  yourself  a  forest  with 
the  ground  covered  with  grass  and  flowers,  then  this  is  well 
named. 

The  next  day,  before  continuing  out  way  south,  we  took 
the  famous  seventeen-mile  drive  along  the  coast,  and  a 
beautiful  rocky  coast  it  is,  while  the  shore  line  is  rather 
thickly  wooded  with  cypress  trees,  some  of  them  quite 
freaks  of  nature,  such  as  the  Ostrich,  the  Ghost  tree,  and 
others.    This  Monterey  Bay  is  noted  for  its  natural  beauty. 

We  covered  149  miles  the  second  day,  and  reached 
Paso  Robles  at  seven  forty-five,  glad  to  eat  and  sleep. 
The  hotel  here  is  a  "has-been,"  but  still  people  come  here 
for  medicinal  baths  and  treatment. 

We  left  early  next  morning  for  Santa  Barbara,  over  161 
miles  of  mountains,  rough  roads,  pitches,  and  grades,  but 
we  were  for  hours  along  the  Santa  Barbara  Bay. 

What  would  you  think  of  two  men  who  see  what  they 
think  looks  like  a  sugar  beet  factory,  and  then  insist  that 
the  string  and  lima  beans  that  are  growing  in  great  abun- 
dance for  miles  are  beets?  But  this  non-farmer  was  not 
convinced,  and  had  the  laugh  on  her  husband  and  the 
smart  chauffeur  who  claims  to  have  done  gardening.  And 
what  would  you  think  ?  wel ,  not  having  seen  the  beets  or 
beans,  you  can't  think  intelligently  at  all,  can  you  ? 

We  came  through  Gaviota  Pass,  a  hard  trip,  but  the 
beauty  of  the  way,  and  later  of  the  Bay,  well  paid  for  its 
hardship — and  then  there  was  a  fine  hotel  waiting  to  re- 
ceive us  at  the  end,  and  in  it  a  clerk  who  had  been  six 
years  in  the  Bellevue  in  Philadelphia — and  that  reminds 

[  120] 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

me  I  didn't  tell  you  that  at  Redding  the  room  clerk  is  a 
Mr.  Baird  from  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Del  Monte  the 
clerk  is  pleased  to  be  able  to  claim  Philadelphia  as  his 
home.  But  I  am  not  saying  how  many  times  we  find 
those  who  have  been  in  Honolulu  and  congratulate  us 
upon  being  able  to  make  our  home  there.  Yes,  I  love 
Philadelphia,  but  not  enough  to  be  willing  to  exclude  Hon- 
olulu from  my  heart,  and  I  think  you  will  soon  find  out 
that  the  other  member  of  this  family  has  the  fever  also, 
for  in  one  instance  I  went  to  a  chiropodist  whom  we  each 
patronize  and  he  remarked:  "Your  husband  is  crazy 
about  Honolulu,  isn't  he?"  At  another  time  a  manicure 
said  to  me:  "Your  husband  enjoys  talking  about  Hono- 
lulu, doesn't  he?"  When  I  say  innocently,  "Does  he?" 
they  reply:  "Oh  my,  yes!"  Now  tell  me,  how  did  I  get 
from  Santa  Barbara  to  Honolulu  so  quickly  and  suddenly  ? 
Well,  now  I'll  quit  my  wandering  and  get  back  to  August 
7th,  en  route  to  Los  Angeles — another  hard  drive.  It 
seems  very  difficult  to  overcome  disappointment  over  the 
roads  of  southern  California,  for  out  of  and  into  each  city, 
for  twenty-five  or  fifty  miles,  one  rides  over  such  beau- 
tiful boulevards  that  when  he  strikes  a  road  that  could 
really  be  thought  of  as  a  fairly  good  one,  it  seems  very  bad. 
The  wonder  to  me  is  that  one  does  not  jolt  surplus  flesh 
off  in  such  driving — but  I  suppose  one  ought  to  be  thank- 
ful not  to  jolt  it  on,  and  be  quiet. 

Have  I  told  you  that  in  this  state  there  are  330,000 
acres  of  land  planted  in  grapes — 70,000  acres  in  wine 
grapes;  110,000  acres  in  raisins;  and  50,000  acres  in  table 
grapes  ?  How  little  we  think  of  the  land  required  and  of 
the  labor  it  takes  when  we  eat  the  product  of  the  farmers' 
toils! 

If  disappointments  make  a  crown  for  us,  I  expect  a 
jeweled  crown  as  the  result  of  having  suffered  this  sum- 
[121] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

mer's  keen  disappointment  over  six  different  people  who 
were  to  have  shared  our  pleasures  with  us,  but  at  the  last 
had  circumstances  arise  that  made  it  impossible.  Had  we 
been  able  to  foresee  all  this,  we  might  have  summered  in 
Honolulu,  but  who  could  tell?  and  we  have  had  each 
other,  but  have  felt  so  selfish  in  a  big  empty  car,  and  we 
might  have  made  many  vacations  brighter  in  Honolulu 
by  sharing  our  beautiful  home.  But  I  believe  all  is  as 
it  should  have  been,  and  we  have  thoroughly  enjoyed 
the  short  summer  that  has  rushed  away  from  us  so 
rapidly. 

I  think  I  will  "bulk"  the  record  of  our  stay  in  Los 
Angeles,  and  so  not  weary  you  with  excess  of  detail.  Our 
first  day  we  spent  in  again  enjoying  Pasadena  and  the 
lovely  Busch  Gardens,  riding  through  "Bairdstown" 
and  Park,  and  a  drive  to  the  Beaches,  where  they  have  a 
"Venice"  as  one  of  their  attractions,  and  to  make  the 
name  significant,  they  have  a  canal  with  gondolas  on  it 
carrying  passengers  between  resorts. 

It  is  very  cool  down  here — which  reminds  me,  please 
don't  be  influenced  by  any  one  to  avoid  southern  Cali- 
fornia in  the  summer  on  account  of  supposed  heat  and 
dust;  this  is  our  second  summer  here,  and  we  have  not 
been  troubled  with  either  in  the  south;  plenty  of  both  in 
the  north — here  we  have  been  glad  to  wear  top-coats  and 
use  a  lap-robe  in  the  car.  While  in  the  north,  with  all  its 
richness  of  natural  beauty,  one  is  apt  to  think  of  the  south 
as  only  artificial,  but  once  here  in  the  south,  it  is  impossible 
not  to  think  it  very  attractive  and  really  beautiful — it 
rather  fascinates  one. 

On  Sunday  we  went  to  the  Protestant  Cathedral,  but 
were  not  much  impressed  with  Dean  McCormick's  sermon 
on  "Washing  the  Hands  to  the  Elbows."  Perhaps  you 
will  think  that  some  of  the  "jewels"  in  that  "crown"  will 

[122] 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

be  missing  when  I  tell  you  that  I  sent  off  thirty  pieces  of 
mail  on  this  Sunday.  Sunday  seems  the  one  day  when 
nothing  calls  me  hither  and  thither,  and  I  can  always  ac- 
complish a  great  deal  more — and  anyway,  I  clear  my 
conscience  of  holding  unanswered  letters. 

Today  we  left  at  eight  thirty  for  a  trip  to  Riverside, 
sixty-five  miles  from  here,  reaching  there  at  eleven  forty- 
five.  We  were  entertained  at  luncheon  (I  suppose  you 
know  the  difference  between  "lunch"  and  "luncheon" 
— the  one  is  50  cents,  the  other  #1.50;  difference,  #1.00) 
by  my  newly  found  and  charming  friend,  Mrs.  Shearman, 
whom  I  met  in  Honolulu  (there  it  goes  again,  but  I  can't 
talk  or  think  without  it!).  She  had  invited  Canon  Pot- 
wine  and  his  wife  (of  Honolulu!)  to  meet  us,  so  we  had  a 
jolly  time  talking  of  "Home  Sweet  Home"  and  our  inter- 
ests there.  From  there  we  drove  to  Redlands  and  up  on 
Smiley  Heights,  returning  to  Los  Angeles  at  seven  forty- 
five,  having  enjoyed  a  beautiful  and  happy  day. 

Now  I  must  tell  of  our  trip  to  Mt.  Lowe:  We  went  first 
in  Pacific  Electric  cars  to  the  foot  of  Echo  Mountain  in 
Rubio  Canyon,  then  up  in  a  cable  train  (length  of  track, 
300  feet;  direct  ascent,  1325  feet;  steepest  grade,  62 
per  cent.)  to  the  summit  of  Echo  Mountain;  from  here  we 
had  another  electric  train  to  the  summit  (no,  not  so,  but 
to  5000  elevation;  "summit"  is  6000  feet,  the  last  1000 
done  on  donkeys,  and  we  did  not  do  it!)  of  Mt.  Lowe. 
This  trip  is  quite  worth  while  if  it  were  only  to  see  the 
engineering  that  was  done  to  build  the  road.  It  crosses 
eighteen  bridges,  has  125  curves  in  its  twenty-five  miles 
of  length;  the  longest  piece  of  straight  track  between 
curves  is  225  feet.  But  the  "engineering"  is  not  the 
whole  reward  for  the  trip :  the  scenery  is  beautiful,  and  the 
outlook  inspiring,  extending  for  miles  in  all  directions  on 
a  clear  day.  We  were  unfortunate  enough  to  have  some 
[123] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

fog,  but  we  could,  nevertheless,  see  and  enjoy  much.  The 
canyons  are  quite  varied  in  both  colors  and  formation; 
spruce  and  live  oaks  are  in  abundance.  The  trip  is  an 
all-day  one,  but  there  is  a  "tavern"  (hotel)  where  one 
may  break  the  day  by  lunch  and  rest. 

Now  to  San  Diego  by  train,  for  we  have  decided  not  to 
motor  down!  This  way,  leaving  Los  Angeles  at  three 
o'clock,  we  are  in  San  Diego  at  six  thirty  p.  m.  The  ride 
is  not  especially  attractive,  except  in  those  parts  of  it 
where  the  track  follows  along  by  the  sea.  The  popula- 
tion of  San  Diego  is  estimated  at  90,000 — it  has  doubled 
one  and  a  half  times  in  the  last  four  years.  There  are  128 
miles  of  graded  streets;  149  miles  of  cement  sidewalks. 
It  has  one  1400-acre  park  and  numerous  smaller  ones. 
It  has  a  natural  harbor  of  twenty-two  square  miles,  and 
expects  to  become  a  great  center  since  the  opening  of  the 
canal.  It  contains  forty-eight  churches  and  fifty-five 
saloons — the  saloons  are  closed  every  Sunday,  and  from 
midnight  until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  every  other  day 
in  the  week.  The  city  was  founded  in  1867,  so  is  still  in 
its  youth,  but  is  more  progressive  than  almost  any  other 
city  in  the  country.  This  is  largely  due  to  the  interest 
taken  in  it  by  John  D.  Spreckles.  His  holdings  are  so 
large  here  as  to  give  currency  to  the  story  that  a  tourist 
once  asked  a  citizen:  "Who  owns  that  electric  line?" 
The  reply  was,  "John  D.  Spreckles."  Walking  a  little 
further  he  asked,  "Who  owns  that  hotel  over  there?" 
"John  D.  Spreckles."  Passing  a  striking  looking  block 
the  question  was  again  asked,  "Who  owns  this  block  of 
buildings?"  Upon  receiving  again  the  reply,  "John  D. 
Spreckles,"  he  fell  silent,  until  looking  out  upon  the  sea 
he  asked,  "Who  owns  that  ocean?"  The  one  questioned 
smilingly  admitted,  "God  owns  that!"  "Well,"  was  the 
rejoinder,  "why  doesn't  John  D.  Spreckles  get  it  away 

[124] 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

from  Him?"  But  this  implication  does  not  represent  the 
feeling  of  the  people  who  live  there:  they  respect  him  and 
thank  him  for  "  boosting "  the  city.  His  father  left  him 
five  millions,  so  he  had  a  good  start,  and  he  has  added 
greatly  to  it.  His  yacht  is  in  the  Bay  here  now,  and  it  is 
a  " dream!"  It  is  said  to  have  cost  #300,000,  and  it  has 
a  crew  of  thirty  all  the  time,  so  you  can  imagine  the  cost 
of  its  upkeep — and  most  of  this  fortune  was  made  in 
sugar. 

And  now  let  me  take  you  for  a  rest  (before  starting  with 
you  sight-seeing)  over  to  Coronado,  where  we  are  stay- 
ing. It  is  the  finest  suburb  of  San  Diego.  It  is  just 
across  the  Bay,  and  though  situated  on  a  peninsula,  is 
readily  accessible  by  ferry.  Because  of  the  early  establish- 
ment of  this  charmingly  beautiful  hotel,  Del  Coronado, 
the  town  has  grown  wonderfully  since  it  was  started  in 
1887;  it  now  has  a  population  of  3500.  The  principal  at- 
tractions are:  The  sight  of  the  sea  and  the  bay  at  the 
same  time,  with  a  sandy  stretch  between,  known  as  "Silver 
Strand" — This  is  a  very  fine  hotel  (Spreckles  owns  it!); 
and  the  famous  tent  city  along  the  beach,  which  has  be- 
tween 3000  and  4000  tenants.  These  tents  are  more  pop- 
ular than  houses,  and  are  nicely  equipped  for  housekeep- 
ing. They  rent  by  the  week,  the  month,  or  the  season. 
Tent  city  has  its  own  attractions:  a  dancing  pavilion,  a 
swimming  pool,  and  the  usual  resort  sports.  It  is  a 
great  sight  on  Sunday  when,  in  addition  to  its  own  resi- 
dents, are  gathered  there  thousands  of  San  Diego  people 
out  for  the  day. 

The  climate  here  is  not  like  that  of  Honolulu,  but  is  the 
closest  second  we  have  seen,  the  difference  being  largely 
due  to  fogs  and  heavy  air  night  and  morning,  and  if  we 
had  not  seen  our  beautiful  home  first,  we  would  very 
likely  have  become  future  residents  of  San  Diego,  or  of 
[125] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

Coronado — the  latter,  I  think.  This  hotel  employs  a 
man  whose  business  it  is  to  arrange  comforts  and  pleasures 
for  the  guests.  They  try  to  have  some  special  event  each 
day  or  evening.  There  is  polo  twice  a  week.  There  are 
golf  links,  but  they  have  no  turf,  because  of  the  dry  cli- 
mate here — we  do  not  care  to  play  from  a  cement  tee  to  a 
mud  green,  and  walk  after  our  balls  through  mud  and 
stickers  after  having  played  on  the  perfect  links  of  Hono- 
lulu, so  our  dream  of  playing  golf  here  proved  to  be  a 
"dream"  only  and  we  have  wakened! 

The  palm  court  around  which  this  house  is  built  forms 
a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten.  There  is  a  bird  cage, 
about  four  by  ten  feet  and  ten  feet  high,  in  which  there 
are  thirty  or  more  canaries,  and  this  proves  a  great  at- 
traction for  the  children  and  for  grown-ups  as  well.  In 
the  garden  are  several  kinds  of  palms,  hibiscus,  vines, 
flowers,  shrubbery,  and  beautiful  flower-beds,  while  all 
around  the  house,  in  every  direction,  are  gardens  of  artis- 
tically arranged  flowers  and  plants.  It  is  the  only  place 
that  could  ever  be  compared  with  Del  Monte,  except  that 
it  has  not  the  old  trees  nor  the  acreage.  I  love  it  here 
more  each  day,  and  rather  dread  the  thought  of  soon 
going  away  from  it  to  live  between  brick  and  stone  walls, 
to  walk  on  dirty  city  streets,  and,  above  all,  horrors!  to 
wear  dark  clothes  and  black  shoes.  I  often  think  that  if 
only  large  cities  could  have  every  one  dressed  in  white 
life  would  be  more  cheerful  and  bright  for  those  who  are 
unfortunate,  are  in  sorrow,  or  in  ill  health.  It  certainly 
clears  one's  mental  atmosphere  and  brightens  his  en- 
vironment to  see  white  and  bright  colors  about  him,  and 
I  have  noticed  that  where  it  is  worn  the  working-people 
seem  brighter  and  more  cheerful. 

How  I  rattle  on,  giving  my  impressions  and  thoughts, 
seemingly  forgetting  that  you  have  other  things  to  do  and 

[126I 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

to  think  about.  But  my  readers  know  the  one  back  of 
the  pencil,  and  I  fancy  I  can  hear  them  say:  "Poor  dear, 
she  can't  help  it;  she  was  always  a  talker,  and  when  she 
can't  do  it  verbally,  down  it  goes  on  paper!"  so  you  see 
you  can't  have  a  rest  from  me,  even  when  I  am  thousands 
of  miles  away. 

On  the  ocean  side  of  the  house  here,  known  as  Ocean 
Terrace,  there  is  a  dancing  floor  built  over  the  sand, 
and  it  is  a  pretty  sight  to  watch  the  gay  colors  dis- 
played there  in  the  afternoon,  while  some  dance  and 
others  are  seated  at  tables  for  tea,  and,  in  addition  to 
this  gay  display,  there  are  the  beautiful  colors  of  the 
sea  right  in  front. 

At  last  we  have  visited  an  olive-oil  factory  and  olive 
cannery.  Though  it  is  not  in  operation  at  this  season  of 
the  year,  we  were,  nevertheless,  shown  the  process  in  de- 
tail, and  I  have  decided  against  olives  in  my  poor  stomach 
since  I  know  that  it  is  true  that  they  go  through  a  lye 
solution.  And  should  you  think  for  a  moment  that  olives 
are  naturally  salty,  let  me  tell  you  that  it  is  because  they 
are  naturally  so  flat  in  taste  after  this  lye  solution  has  re- 
moved the  excess  bitter  that  they  are  put  into  brine  to 
make  them  palatable,  and  yet  so  many  who  cannot  learn 
to  eat  them  say,  if  only  they  were  not  salty  they  would  be 
fine.  One  ton  of  olives  makes  thirty-five  gallons  of  oil, 
and  the  pulp  is  used  for  fuel.  When  you  see  the  "Old 
Mission"  brand,  just  remember  that  we  have  seen  the 
factory  and  know  the  proprietors,  who  are  very  dear 
friends  of  the  Bishop's  secretary,  Miss  Davis,  whom  you 
will  remember  that  we  had  at  our  home  after  her  opera- 
tion in  Honolulu.  You  will  be  interested  to  know  that 
she  says  that  in  her  weak  condition  she  felt  "abused"  in 
the  other  two  homes  where  she  was  entertained  after  we 
left,  because  they  did  not  know  how  to  take  the  care  of 
[127] 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN     CALIFORNIA 

her  that  she  had  received  while  with  us — this  was  due,  in 
one  case,  to  not  enough  quiet,  and  in  the  other  to  a  feel- 
ing on  her  part  that  she  must  not  appear  stupid,  but  brace 
up,  and  /  know  you  can't  do  that  all  the  time  when  so 
weak.  Then,  too,  the  other  homes  were  miles  from  the 
beach,  and  she  loved  that,  and  the  quiet  of  our  home. 
When  the  Bishop  found  that  she  was  not  in  condition  to 
return  to  her  desk,  he  insisted  that  she  come  home  for 
the  summer,  and  she  came,  and  now  looks  like  another 
person.  She  is  to  be  with  us  at  The  Stewart  in  San  Fran- 
cisco next  Tuesday,  and  we  are  to  see  her  off  on  the  ship 
next  Wednesday.  When  we  called  on  her  here, — and 
she  didn't  even  know  where  we  were, — you  should  have 
heard  her  shout  of  joy:  "Oh!  it  is  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baird, 
how  happy  I  am  to  see  you!"  You  might  have  supposed 
we  had  known  her  all  her  life.  She  is  a  charming  girl, 
and  much  beloved  here  as  well  as  in  Honolulu. 

We  have  very  much  enjoyed  seeing  the  old  Spanish  resi- 
dence now  known  as  "The  Marriage  Place  of  Ramona," 
because  of  the  reference  made  to  it  in  Helen  Hunt  Jack- 
son's story,  "Ramona."  The  exterior  of  the  house  is 
most  unattractive,  and  it  is  a  great  surprise,  upon  enter- 
ing, to  see  before  you  a  court  garden,  such  as  the  old 
Spanish  and  other  ancient  European  houses  had.  The 
house  is  in  cloister  style,  the  rooms  being  built  around 
the  court.  There  are  collected  here  many  curios  and 
relics,  and,  of  course,  things  for  sale.  There  is  a  family  in 
charge,  and  the  grounds  are  in  beautiful  condition. 

Our  ride  out  on  Point  Loma  was  quite  a  revelation  of 
the  beautiful  setting  of  San  Diego  and  Coronado.  The 
view  from  up  there  is  almost  unlimited,  and  one  can  ap- 
preciate the  real  beauty  of  the  harbor,  with  its  Fort  Rose- 
crans,  its  coaling  station,  Ballast  Point,  Quarantine  Sta- 
tion, the  sea,  and,  beyond,  the  silver  strand,  which  is  the 

[128] 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

stretch  of  sand  having  the  $14,000  boulevard  across  it, 
so  that  the  trip  to  Mexico  can  be  made  that  way. 

On  Point  Loma  there  is  a  very  extensive  Theosophical 
Society  settlement,  with  five  college  buildings,  homes, 
library,  and  large  ranch  lands. 

The  wireless  station  on  the  Point  is  said  to  have  the 
record  for  the  longest  distance  message,  the  distance  being 
7000  miles. 

On  our  first  Sunday  here  we  went  over  to  San  Diego  to 
St.  Paul's  Church,  which  was  built  by  Bishop  Restarick 
in  the  beginning  of  his  first  work  here,  thirty-one  years 
ago.  You  may  not  know  that  he  started  the  church  here 
and  had  been  with  it  twenty  years  when  called  to  the 
Bishopric  of  Honolulu,  or  really  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
We  enjoyed  the  service,  and  met  the  rector,  Mr.  Barnes, 
who  is  the  Bishop's  successor. 

We  thoroughly  enjoyed  a  lecture  given  one  evening  by 
a  representative  of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad,  on  the  Yosemite 
and  the  Grand  Canyon.  I  was  very  glad  to  learn  that 
these  lectures  are  to  be  given  also  in  the  East;  perhaps 
they  will  help  to  lead  people  not  to  go  to  Europe  sight- 
seeing all  their  lives  and  fail  to  see  marvels  in  their  own 
country,  such  as  cannot  be  duplicated  anywhere  in  the 
world.  The  more  I  see  of  the  ignorance  of  our  American 
people  about  their  own  country,  and  hear  them  boast  of 
the  number  of  times  they  have  crossed  the  Atlantic,  the 
more  I  feel  the  need  of  advertising  or  of  some  effort  being 
made  to  induce  eastern  people  to  cross  the  continent,  in- 
stead of  the  ocean.  The  same  thing  applies  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  Honolulu;  as,  for  instance,  we  ourselves,  who  were 
ignorant  enough  of  real  conditions  there,  to  go  expecting 
to  see  merely  some  black  people  and  some  scenery! 
Since  becoming  enlightened  ourselves,  we  have  been 
amused  at  the  remarks  in  many  of  the  letters  from  our 
[  129  ]  9 


DURING     OUR     STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

home  city;  for  instance  this:  "Surprised,  John,  to  hear 
that  you  are  going  to  live  among  the  Hottentots,  but  there 
is  no  accounting  for  tastes!"  Though  that  is  the  most 
ridiculous  speech  of  all,  there  are  many  other  comments 
that  are  very  amusing  to  those  who  have  come  to  know 
this  heavenly  country.  The  people  out  here  all  do  know 
something  of  it,  and  most  of  them  deplore  the  fact  that 
they  can't  live  there.  Only  this  morning  we  heard  that 
when  Mr.  Van  Rensaleer,  of  Philadelphia,  was  asked 
where  he  thought  was  the  best  place  in  the  world  to  live, 
he  replied,  "Honolulu" — and  you  all  know  how  he  has 
traveled,  having  opportunity  to  see  the  whole  world, 
practically.  Here  I  am  off  "boosting"  again!  but  "out 
of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh!" 

We  had  a  nice  auto  trip  out  to  one  of  the  many  sea- 
shore resorts,  called  La  Jolla  (Hoya),  where  there  are 
some  natural  caves  washed  out  by  the  sea.  An  old  German 
decided  to  make  an  entrance  to  them  from  the  land,  so 
seven  men  spent  seven  months  making  stairs  through 
limestone  to  accomplish  this  result.  The  depth  of  the 
stairway  is  80  feet,  and  there  are  136  steps.  This  cave  is 
seventy-nine  feet  long.  The  other  caves  have  to  be  en- 
tered by  boat,  or  else  only  at  very  low  tide. 

The  natural  markings  in  the  rocks  here  are  very  inter- 
esting: the  shape  of  a  fish  can  be  plainly  traced,  also  a 
sheep,  an  alligator,  an  oyster,  a  face  and  head,  and  other 
things  not  so  distinctly  outlined.  Besides  this,  the  rock 
shows  beautiful  shadings  of  color,  a  result  of  the  vege- 
table and  mineral  strata,  which,  I  believe,  it  is  considered 
quite  phenomenal  to  find  lying  so  close  to  each  other. 

And  now  for  a  real  fish  story — they  were  not  caught 
with  a  silver  hook  either!  We  went  out  (just  we  two  and 
no  more,  except  the  captain)  eighteen  miles  south  of  here. 
We  were  then  out  to  the  Coronado  Islands,  which  lie 

[  130 1 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

in  Mexican  waters.  Our  boat  was  a  gasoline  launch, 
twenty-nine  feet  long,  which  at  her  best  made  only  nine 
miles  an  hour.  We  used  no  bait  except  the  silver-like 
pieces  of  metal  used  to  attract;  all  the  work  was  done  by 
two  rods  and  by  trolling,  and  we  landed  nineteen  fish, 
weighing  150  pounds,  in  about  four  hours.  The  largest 
single  one  weighed  twenty  pounds;  the  others  weighed 
sixteen  pounds,  twelve,  eight,  and  less.  They  were 
fighters,  too,  and  it  took  some  time  to  land  them  in  the 
boat  after  we  had  a  strike.  The  marvel  is,  first:  how 
much  weight  and  force  can  be  borne  by  the  frail-looking 
rods,  and,  second,  why  fishermen  catching  thirty-five  and 
fifty  pound  tuna  and  other  such  fish  are  not  pulled  out  of 
the  boat  by  them,  for  if  one  is  half  a  sport,  he  won't  let 
go,  no  matter  how  hard  they  pull,  and  I  know  that  several 
times  I  had  to  brace  my  feet,  as  heavy  as  I  am — though 
I  have  long  since  found  out  that  weight  of  body  does  not 
necessarily  imply  strength.  Our  catch  included  barra- 
cuda, yellow  tail,  two  kinds  of  bass,  and  albacore — all 
strange  to  you,  I  think,  except  bass.  We  came  home  quite 
willing  to  be  met  at  the  wharf  by  inquiring  strangers  who 
came  down  to  ask:  "Did  you  have  any  luck?"  "Yes, 
just  a  little,  though  none  of  the  coveted  tuna."  When 
they  were  all  hung  up  for  view,  as  per  the  picture  you  have 
seen,  we  were  the  recipients  of  all  kinds  of  congratulations, 
I  assure  you.  If  you  have  asked  who  is  our  friend  in  the 
picture  shading  her  eyes,  I  will  here  inform  you  she  is  the 
dutiful  helpmate  of  the  captain,  and  you  should  see  her 
beaming  face  on  the  dock  as  she  calls  out:  "Can  I  help 
you,  dearie?"  and  then  see  her  as  she  catches  the  rope, 
loops  and  ties  it,  and  starts  in  like  a  man  to  fix  things  up. 

A  boatman's  life  isn't  all  fun,  and  long  hours  fall  to 
their  lot.  This  one  told  me  how  he  had  been  promised 
by  a  Jap  fisherman  that  if  he  was  around  when  he  came 
[131] 


DURING     OUR      STAY     IN      CALIFORNIA 

in  he  could  buy  some  live  sardines  for  Tuna  bait;  so 
the  poor  man,  though  he  did  not  get  through  to  go  to  bed 
until  ten  thirty,  not  sleeping  until  eleven,  got  up  at  2 
A.  m.  to  be  at  the  appointed  place,  and  then,  after  waiting 
a  long  time,  when  the  other  boat  came  in  he  was  informed 
that  there  were  none  for  sale!  When  he  could  get  back 
home  it  was  time  to  fix  up  his  boat  ready  for  an  early 
start,  for  some  people  go  out  before  six  in  the  morning. 

These  islands  I  have  mentioned  are  only  one  and  two 
miles  long,  and  are  uninhabited  except  by  seals,  pelicans, 
and  gulls,  but  the  unusual  strata  in  their  formation,  the 
natural  amber  found  there,  and  these  live  animals,  make 
the  islands  places  of  great  beauty. 

We  were  very  sorry  not  to  know  people  here  so  as  to 
share  with  them  our  spoils.  We  decided  to  ship  them  to 
San  Francisco  to  two  friends  there,  and  to  Riverside  to 
another  friend  there,  but  we  were  dissuaded  from  doing 
so  by  the  hotel  men,  who  assured  us  that,  because  of  poor 
packing  facilities,  they  could  not  be  put  up  so  as  to  carry; 
hence  they,  and  not  our  friends,  reaped  the  benefit  of  our 
sport — except  for  the  barracuda,  which  we  ate  broiled 
for  dinner,  and  a  bass  for  breakfast,  and  some  we  sent  to 
an  acquaintance  in  San  Diego. 

And  now  we  are  taking  you  to  Mexico — yes,  it  is  per- 
fectly safe,  and  you  will  be  glad  you  went,  for  it  is  a  very 
pleasant  ride  by  auto  to  the  little  town  of  Tia  Juana,  which 
is  not  much  larger  than  the  Custom  House  and  Inspection 
Office  that  you  must  pass  to  get  across  the  border.  There 
they  inspect  for  firearms  by  a  Mexican,  and  for  goods  pur- 
chased by  United  States  customs  officers,  who  are  rigid 
and  strict  in  enforcing  the  rule  that  no  one  person  shall 
carry  out  more  than  one  dollar's  worth  free.  When  your 
purchase  is  more  than  the  "dollar,"  you  forfeit  that  and 
pay  duty  on  the  whole  amount.     But  they  were  very 

[132I 


SOUTHERN      CALIFORNIA 

civil,  and  I  had  no  possible  trouble — though  I  did  not 
buy  a  whole  lot. 

You  are  told  by  Americans  that  there  are  seventy-three 
inhabitants  here,  and  by  natives  that  there  are  300. 
They  boast  four  restaurants  and  thirteen  saloons. 

Now,  in  concluding  this  letter,  I  am  concluding  the 
series,  and  cannot  say  when,  if  ever,  I  shall  be  writing  you 
another  travel  letter. 

We  plan  to  leave  Coronado  August  24th,  to  leave  San 
Francisco  August  31st.  We  stop  on  our  way  east  in 
Boise,  Idaho,  to  visit  Bishop  Funsten;  in  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  to  visit  Bishop  Thomas;  in  Chicago,  to  visit 
various  friends  and  rest;  in  Cleveland,  to  visit;  and  to 
reach  the  Philadelphia  home  on  September  15th — and 
so,  at  the  close  of  our  nearly  eight  months'  trip  together, 
I  thank  you  for  your  interest.     Mizpah! 


[133] 


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